542. Brand Stories: TIKI-TIKI MANUEL ZAMORA, the Medicine Against the Malady of Beri-Beri

TIKI-TIKI MANUEL ZAMORA, Print Ad, 1937

One medicine that has a special place in our medical history is TIKI-TIKI, that was developed in 1909 by chemist-pharmacist MANUEL ZAMORA ,(1870–1929), of  Sta. Cruz, operating out of his laboratory/pharmacy on R. Hidalgo Street. It was formulated to cure infantile beriberi (“taun”, in Pilipino) , a deadly disease that plagued poorly-nourished Filipino children during the American colonial period, caused by Vitamin B1 deficiency.

TIKI-TIKI 'BOUNCING BABY', Print Ad, 1940

Made from rice bran extract, it became a crucial public health solution during the American colonial period. The brand name was derived from “tikitiki” a local term for   the rice bran from which the liquid medicine was extracted. The bran was a rich source of Vitamin B1 or Thiamine and it was Zamora who successfully extracted a stable version of it, producing it commercially, thus saving thousands of Filipino babies’ lives.

TESTIMONIAL AD 'Virginia Dela', Print Ad, 1953

Zamora made known TIKI-TIKI’s life-saving impact on Tiki-Tiku print ads that were circulated in dailies and magazines regularly: “The TIKI-TIKI MANUEL ZAMORA extract is a medicine unequalled in quality  for the prevention and cure of Infantile Beri-Beri which is a dangerous disease of children…..Within the years that this famous TIKI-TIKI MANUEL ZAMORA has beEn discovered, countless mothers and children have been saved from early death”.

TIKI-TIKI 'Health Protection', Print Ad, 1958

The success of the ban prompted international pharmaceutical companies like Parke Davis  to make lucrative offers to Zamora to buy him out, but he refused to sell the rights to his formula, ensuring it remained accessible to Filipinos. Zamora eventually helped establish the Philippine Pharmaceutical Association.

UNITED AMERICAN TIKI-TIKI Print Ad, 1964

While originally a specialized medicine, TIKI-TIKI is now manufactured by Unilab as a children's multivitamin brand, originally under the name United American (Tiki-Tiki Drops and Syrup). It became well-known for its memorable jingle that was heard on he raio without fail, every day—“United American, United American, United American TIKI-TIKI ang bilhin!”.

UNITED AMERICAN, 'Bring Up Your Babies', Print Ad, 1964

Today, TIKI-TIKI is a significant product in the history of Philippine medicine, credited with fighting a national health crisis.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_A._Zamora

Ginats in History: Manuel A. Zamora: https://www.asiaresearchnews.com/content/manuel-zamora

359. Out-of-Stock, but Never Out-of-Mind: BIOGESIC, Print Ads 1987

DON'T TAKE RISKS, TAKE BIOGESIC, Print Ad, 1987 

BIOGESIC  has been in the news lately, as the popular paracetamol brand has suddenly gone out of stock—along with analgesic, anti-pyretic, cold and cough medicine brands-- in the midst of the ongoing covid surge. The supply situation was so bad that even one netizen asked John Lloyd, current BIOGESIC endorser, for the much-needed tablets.   

A Biogesic out-of-stock  meme circulated during the covid surge, CTTO

BIOGESIC has been in the market for over 50 years, a product of the pharmaceutical firm, United Laboratories, Inc. (UNILAB). For decades, anti-fever and pain brands available  locally were paracetamol and aspirin-based, like Cortal, Cortapen, Medicol, Bayer’s Aspirin. The introduction of acetaminophen products expanded the market, and by the late 1970s, Tylenol, the widely-used American brand from McNeilab of Johnson & Johnson, was launched in the Philippines, along with its cold medicine counterpart, CoTylenol.

Tylenol became a huge threat to BIOGESIC and other local brands, as it was sold on the basis of safety—it does not cause stomach upset like aspirin does, which can irritate the stomach lining. Tylenol was also sold on its American leadership (America’s #1 Pain reliever), to capitalize on the so-called colonial mentality of Filipinos. 

CHILDREN'S BIOGESIC SYRUP PARACETAMOL, 1987

All that changed when Tylenol products in the U.S. were laced with cyanide in 1982 by still-unknown criminals, resulting in 7 cyanide deaths in Chicago. The product was pulled out of the Philippine market, and by 1986, BIOGESIC took over the safety theme with the absolute claim: “The World’s Safest Pain Reliever”—in reference to its pure paracetamol ingredient, not the brand. In 1987, a children’s syrup version was even introduced.

BIOGESIC never let go of this safety positioning, and has served the brand well, especially when the “Ingat” campaign, featuring celebrity actor John Lloyd Cruz, was launched in 2007. Marketing pundits believe that the consistent brand messaging of BIOGESIC  paved the way for Filipino consumers to continue trusting the product for aches, fever, and pain, as it continues to be the leading choice for paracetamol in the market—if people can only find it in drugstores today!

SOURCE: John Lloyd and 9 Years of “Ingat”. The Manila Times: https://www.manilatimes.net/2015/05/23/lifestyle-entertainment/show-times/john-lloyd-and-nine-years-of-ingat/185906, 23 May 2015

199. A FRIENDLY NEW YEAR REMINDER FROM UNILAB, 1965

Amidst all the holiday feasting, wining and dining, UNILAB extended its wish of good health to Filipinos through this corporate ad from 1965.

United Laboratories Inc. was put up in 1945 by Jose Yao Campos and Mariano K. Tan as United Drug Co. Today,Unilab  is a leading pharmaceutical company, maker of the biggest prescription, consumer healthcare and personal care brands in the Philippines. It actively advertising in the late 1950s, after its state-of-the art headquarters housing its laboratories and research center was established in Mandaluyong.

Whether at Christmas time or at any other time, UNILAB is one with your doctor in fighting disease and illness, so you could have good health and well-being all year round.