ASHA Announces New Corporate Partner: Parapharma Tech

Heath-Focused Thickeners Will Offer More Options to SLPs Working With Dysphagia

September 15, 2021

(Rockville, MD) The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) today announced that Parapharma Tech, a manufacturer of liquid thickeners, has become an ASHA Corporate Partner.

Parapharma Tech produces hypoallergenic organic thickeners for breast milk and infant formulas as well as liquid thickeners for children and adults. By partnering with ASHA, Parapharma Tech will help ASHA members offer more solutions to health-conscious parents and patients with swallowing disorders.

“We at ASHA welcome more options to serve the dietary needs and preferences of those with swallowing disorders,” said ASHA President A. Lynn Williams, PhD, CCC-SLP. “Partnering with Parapharma Tech will help our speech-language pathologist members maintain a high level of patient satisfaction.”

“We truly appreciate the opportunity to partner with ASHA, a partnership we know is crucial to improving the lives of people and families who are dealing with feeding and swallowing issues,” said pediatric gastroenterologist Enrique Hernandez, MD, who worked with Parapharma Tech to develop their thickeners.

ASHA members interested in learning more about the thickeners offered by Parapharma Tech are invited to visit https://www.healthierthickening.com.

About Parapharma Tech
Established in the United States in 2010, Parapharma Tech’s early mission was to provide a healthier alternative thickening option to rice cereal for infants with reflux. Cereals do not effectively thicken breast milk and severely displace the natural infant diet, causing constipation and excessive calorie intake. Partnering with Dr. Enrique Hernandez, pediatric gastroenterologist in South Florida, Parapharma Tech developed Gelmix® Infant Thickener for breast milk and formula, made with organic ingredients that both parents and pediatricians could trust. The demand for organic products for people with dysphagia continued to grow, and there was a gap in technology for thickeners for children between 1 and 3 years old. Parapharma Tech developed Purathick® to meet that need as the first USDA-certified organic thickener made for both adults and children over 1 year old. Purathick® thickens hot and cold liquids without adding any taste. 

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 218,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.


ASHA Corporate Partners