Mediaboss Marketing

By MELODY M. AGUIBA

MANILA, Philippines A contractor of the Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) has struck a deal with Mercury Drug Corp. (MDC) for the distribution nationwide of the ITDI-developed ovicidal-larvicidal (OL) trap, a dengue vector killer trap.

The Heritage Veterinary Corp. (HVC) expects to start within the month the distribution of the OL trap through MDCs 840 outlets nationwide. That will not only make the OL trap easily accessible to all Filipinos as part of the national effort to control the dreaded disease.

It is also generating income for the government.

The company already paid us an upfront cost of P300,000 which goes to the national government. We expect royalty of three percent for the sale of the pellets, said Dr. Nuna E. Almanzor, director of ITDI-Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in an interview.

HVC has invested in an OL trap manufacturing facility that it expects to generate profit in three years. The facility in Quezon City is presently running at a capacity of 16 million sachets of the OL trap pellets monthly. It can produce three times that present production given a 24-hour operation.

The elimination of the vector mosquito must be a key to reducing dengue incidence.

The OL trap works by enticing mosquitoes the dengue virus-carrying aegis aegypti specie into a black plastic cup with the solution that contains the pellets. The solution then kills the eggs or the larvae of the mosquito which is why it is called ovicidal-larvicidal.

The black plastic cup, a lawanit stick, and the OL trap pellets (four sachets of pellets) are all contained in an affordable kit costing only P20 per kit outside of MDC and P25 at MDC.

MDC also has a P100 packaging that has four kits and another packaging that has 16 OL sachets per pack. The P100 packaging is good for a months use since ITDI recommends that each house should keep two OL traps inside their house and another two traps outside their house, according to HVC Vice President Cesar Trajano. Philippine Council for Health Research and Development director Jaime C. Montoya said a quality control system has been put in place by government on HVCs OL trap manufacturing.

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Contractor Strikes Deal With Mercury Drug To Distribute Dengue Killer Trap