Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory receives the Good Design Award 2020 for its Oral Rehydration Solution OS-1^Ⓡ Series

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, Inc. (Head Office: Naruto, Tokushima, Japan; President and Representative Director: Shinichi Ogasawara) has received the Good Design Award 2020 from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion for Oral Rehydration Solution OS-1_® Series.

This product is an oral rehydration solution that contains electrolytes and carbohydrates in balanced concentrations, based on the approach to oral rehydration therapy proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). For the first time in Japan, OS-1 obtained approval for labeling as an individually evaluated food for persons with medical conditions, categorized as a food for special dietary use by the Consumer Affairs Agency. It is suitable for mild-to-moderate dehydration.

As a food for persons with medical conditions that is widely used by patients and elderly people, this product has been designed with consideration for convenience from the viewpoint of universal design. Specifically, in 2019, the cap of the OS-1 Jelly became large. In 2020, the design of the 500 mL/280 mL PET bottle (plastic bottle) caps was improved. Also, improvements were made to make the cap easier to open, such as showing direction to open with hiragana (Japanese) and an arrow on the top of the cap. Along with the improvements to the PET bottle cap, the 500 mL PET bottle was changed to a slim square bottle with slight curves to make it easy to hold.

The evaluation comments by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion are as follows.

This product is the fourth of our products which won the Good Design Award. In light of the mission imposed on pharmaceutical companies in the super-aging society, we will continue to work on product design with consideration for those who use our pharmaceuticals and medical foods.

Based on the corporate philosophy of "Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide," the Otsuka Group is dedicated to contributing to the health of people around the world.

OS-1 is an oral rehydration solution that contains electrolytes and carbohydrates in balanced concentrations. This product is approved as a food for persons with medical conditions and is intended to provide water and electrolytes in order to maintain proper water and electrolyte balance in persons with mild-to-moderate dehydration. Specifically, OS-1 is useful for dehydration due to diarrhea, vomiting, or fever associated with infectious enteritis or the common cold, as well as for dehydration resulting from insufficient oral intake in elderly persons or excessive perspiration.

OS-1 was launched in 2001 as the first oral rehydration solution in Japan. OS-1 has been introduced for effectiveness in various guidelines, including the Guidelines for the Management of Acute Gastroenteritis in Children 2017 (Japanese Society of Emergency Pediatrics) and Heatstroke Practice Guidelines 2015 (Japanese Association for Acute Medicine).

OS-1 has also contributed to the dissemination of the concept of "Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT)" in Japan. Oral rehydration therapy is a treatment for dehydration in which water and electrolytes are supplemented orally (via the mouth). Recently, it has been attracting attention mainly in Europe and the United States, and guidelines have also been established.