Procter & Gamble adds berry flavor to Prilosec

NEW YORK — Procter & Gamble is adding flavoring to a pill that you swallow — a first for the world’s largest consumer products maker.

In the biggest change to heartburn medication Prilosec since it became over-the-counter in 2003, Procter & Gamble is adding a wildberry flavor to the pill, even though it is meant to be swallowed, not chewed.

P&G says the pills are coated with ingredients that give off a cooling sensation immediately. And the wildberry flavor lasts for up to five minutes afterward. The flavoring was derived from technology from P&G’s Vick’s segment.

The heartburn market is changing, as fewer consumers use fast-acting antacids and more turn to medicines that block production of acid over time. Wildberry Prilosec OTC will be on store shelves in October.