Consumer healthcare brand Difflam® has received the Marketing & Communications Initiative of the Year-Philippines award at the Healthcare Asia Pharma Awards 2025 for its Difflam® Lozenges (Benzydamine HCl + Cetylpyridinium Cl) study and the "Push Your Best Self Forward" campaign.

Sacha Ernst, president of AMENA iNova Pharmaceuticals, said that the company was honored by the recognition.

"At iNova, we strive to deliver innovative products and meaningful initiatives that help improve the health and wellbeing of Filipinos everyday," said Ernst.

The clinical study evaluated the effectiveness of Difflam® Lozenges, containing Benzydamine HCl + Cetylpyridinium Cl, in easing sore throats in Covid-19 patients. The results indicated that the lozenges helped reduce throat pain and may shorten the duration of Covid-19 infection due to the potential antimicrobial effects of Cetylpyridinium Cl against SARS-CoV-2.

This was supported by improvements in Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores, according to the study published in the Archives of Infect Diseases & Therapy.

Elena Lam, iNova country manager for the Philippines, disclosed that iNova aimed to invest in real-world evidence to provide confidence to healthcare professionals in advising patients on sore throat pain treatment using Difflam® Lozenges.

She added that the study's publication was supported by a national education series for healthcare professionals.

"With the cut-through creative consumer marketing campaign ‘Push Your Best Self Forward’, we wanted to leverage the study results to encourage Filipinos to focus on improving their personal health and wellbeing underscoring the importance of maintaining good health practices and holistic wellbeing," Lam said.

She cited that the clinical study and the supporting communication and marketing initiatives have supported Filipinos in their journey to better health, contributing to Difflam's growth in a competitive market.

iNova has been expanding its business in the Philippines, including the acquisition of the Mundipharma Consumer Health business, anchored by the Betadine® brand, in 2024.

"As a leader in the consumer health industry, iNova is committed to investing in meaningful science to innovate and provide health solutions for Filipino healthcare professionals, patients and consumers across all of our leading brands. The continued expansion of our leading Difflam® range of throat and mouth care products is a great example of this," said Ernst.