Arphos® was prescribed for the treatment of anorexia, recovery, malnutrition, or to treat growth delay in children. It was a solution product in drinkable glass ampules (popular at that time). The product, containing a blackcurrant extract, had a pleasant taste. There was three active ingredients: phosphoric acid, calcium glucoheptonate and vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin). Vitamin B12 is commonly used to treat anemia and the product helps also to relieve pain in some cases. A major deficiency in vitamin B12 can cause pernicious anemia, with hematological, gastric and immunological alterations. Calcium glucoheptonate is a highly soluble calcium salt containing 8.2% of elemental calcium. This Ca salt presents a high relative bioavailability compared to Ca carbonate, and it is well-tolerated. It is a convenient and safe product for calcium supplementation, still used today to address calcium deficiency conditions.
The title “donne du resort” means “give some bounce”, to illustrate the tonic action of vitamin B12.
