Kenny Kramm

Kenneth Lee Kramm (June 16, 1961 – July 12, 2016) was an American entrepreneur who founded FLAVORx and its system of adding flavoring to otherwise unpalatable medicines to make them easier to take.[1][2][3]

Kenny Kramm
Born
Kenneth Lee Kramm

(1961-06-16)June 16, 1961
Washington, D.C., U.S.
DiedJuly 12, 2016(2016-07-12) (aged 55)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Maryland (1984)
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forFlavoring medicines
Spouse(s)
Shelley Neiss
​
(m. 1985⁠–⁠2016)​
Children2

Kramm was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Potomac, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1984 with a degree in advertising design and became an art director for an agency. After developing a dislike for that career in 1992, he joined his father's pharmacy firm in Washington as a business manager.[1]

Flavored medicine

Kramm's youngest daughter began suffering epileptic seizures weeks after her birth in February 1992. Once she was able to be released from the hospital, she balked at the multiple daily doses of phenobarbital needed to prevent grand mal seizures, by either refusing to take the ill-tasting medicine or holding it in her mouth until it leaked out. Her seizures continued, resulting in more hospital trips. Within a few months, Kramm and his wife Shelley decided something must be done.[4]

In May 1992, Kramm's father, Harold, suggested sweetening the medicine with flavorings used by candy manufacturers. The men spent their evenings, after store hours, tasting different samples. Kramm then took home the flavored medicine that he hoped his daughter would approve. She ultimately picked one and resumed her proper dosage. Parents from the nearby children's hospital heard about the flavoring, and FLAVORx went into business.[4]

Death

Kramm died from sepsis in 2016, after contracting an infection.[1][2]

References
  1. "Kenneth Kramm, pharmacist who 'took the yuck out of medicine' – obituary". The Telegraph. 15 July 2016.
  2. Langer, Emily (July 13, 2016). "Kenny Kramm, creator of flavorings to make the medicine go down for kids, dies at 55". The Washington Post.
  3. "Kenny Kramm, developer of flavored additives for prescriptions, dies at 55 - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram". 14 July 2016.
  4. Buchanan, Leigh (June 1, 2003). "The Heart of a Company". Inc.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
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