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Metamucil is a brand of laxative and fiber supplements. It has existed since 1934 and was owned by G. D. Searle & Company. In 1985 Procter & Gamble acquired the brand. Products of the brand are available internationally in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Chile and the Netherlands.

Products
Metamucil is available as powdered drink mixes, capsules, and wafers. It has been available in different flavors, such as Orange, Berry with an sugar-free version also available. The active ingredient of Metamucil is psyllium seed husks.

P&G manufactures Metamucil products in Pheonix, AZ.

Marketing
P&G attempted to make Metamucil a household name using adverts in magazines and on television with the original claim being “All fiber is not created equal”. Metamucil’s target group were older people who are more likely to suffer from constipation.

However P&G has been attempting to appeal to greater and younger crowds lately with the new slogan “Beautify your Insides”. It is meant to appeal more to the trend of bodily cleanses.

On October 4, 2013, P&G partnered with Tony Danza to organize the “Do More Than You Think” contest as a way to promote and fund health and wellness charitable organizations. The main prize in the content was the ability to choose a charitable organization that would receive a winner of the contest could choose an organization to receive a $100,000 donation from P&G.

In 2018, Metamucil started a new campaign as a marketing stunt. The campaign entitled “The Metamucil Two-Week Challenge” and incentivizes customers to take Metamucil for a period of two weeks in order to promote their digestive health.

Intellectual Property
The patent for Metamucil is owned by P&G. P&G also own patents for Metamucil in Canada, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Japan, and Australia.

Moreover, Metamucil is a trademark of P&G with the first trademark filed in 1934 and was renewed until 2005. After 2005, the logo for Metamucil was updated and therefore a new trademark was submitted and approved.

Clinical trials
Since Metamucil's active ingredient is a non-toxic grain, no clinical trials were conducted for safety for human consumption. However, there were clinical trials exploring the efficacy of Metamucil in the treatment of certain ailments. A P&G-conducted phase IV clinical study was conducted in 2012 to study the efficacy of Metamucil on controlling glucose and lipid levels in type II diabetic patients. It was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-dose clinical study over 10 weeks. Every two weeks glucose and lipid levels were measured at the clinic and recorded. The participants of this study were required to upkeep an acceptable diet in order to create consistency in the study. The results were in favor of Metamucil helping control the lipid and glucose levels in these patients.