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| Loli-Med Shark Tank Update: Where Are Crystal Naoum and Ekhlas Khalaf Now? |
Loli-Med wants to make one of parenting's least enjoyable daily tasks a little easier: getting children to take their medicine without turning the kitchen into a negotiation room. Founded by pharmacists Crystal Naoum and Ekhlas Khalaf, the business has developed a lollipop-shaped medication dispenser designed to make liquid medicine easier for children to take. The entrepreneurs brought their idea to the national television audience during season 18, episode 4 of ABC's Shark Tank: The Mindy Project, hoping to secure investment and introduce their product to more families. Their pitch centres on a familiar problem for parents, paired with a simple idea that could make medicine time less of a battle of wills.
Crystal and Ekhlas did not arrive at the idea by randomly combining sweets and healthcare products and hoping for the best. Both founders have professional backgrounds in pharmacy, giving them direct experience with the challenges families face when administering medication to young children. Their business emerged from a practical problem they repeatedly encountered at work, rather than a search for the next novelty product to attract attention on television.
Crystal Naoum earned her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2018. She subsequently obtained pharmacist licences in Louisiana and California in 2021, before beginning her career at CVS Health in October of that year. Her professional experience later expanded into business ownership, with Crystal taking charge of 360 Tronics in January 2022. She also secured a pharmacist licence in Virginia in July 2022, broadening her professional credentials as she continued developing her career.
In August 2022, Crystal left CVS Health and moved into a pharmacist position at North Coast Medical Supply. Her entrepreneurial ambitions continued to grow, leading her to establish Alvarado Medical Plaza Compounding Pharmacy in July 2023. She subsequently left her roles at 360 Tronics and North Coast Medical Supply, before stepping away from Alvarado Medical Plaza Compounding Pharmacy in April 2026. Her experience across pharmacy practice and business ownership provided a useful foundation for developing a product that sits at the intersection of healthcare, convenience and family life.
Ekhlas Khalaf followed a similarly pharmacy-focused career path. After earning her PharmD from Shenandoah University, she joined Walgreens as a pharmacist in November 2015. She later served as a pharmacy manager between March 2021 and August 2022, gaining experience in the practical and operational demands of running pharmacy services.
By August 2022, Ekhlas had also taken a pharmacist position at CVS Health while continuing her work with Walgreens. In June 2023, she added a part-time clinical pharmacist role at Denver Health to her professional responsibilities. She subsequently joined DNA Pharmacy as a pharmacy manager in October 2024. Her experience across several pharmacy settings helped shape the practical thinking behind Loli-Med, particularly the need to make medication administration straightforward for both adults and children.
Despite their demanding professional lives, Crystal and Ekhlas continued encountering parents who struggled to persuade their children to take liquid medicine. Some children dislike the taste, others object to the process, and a seemingly simple dose can become an exhausting exercise in patience. Parents hardly need another daily challenge, especially when the medicine itself is supposed to help everyone feel better.
The two pharmacists decided to develop a product that could address this familiar problem without making the medication process unnecessarily complicated. Loli-Med launched in October 2025, offering a dispenser that combines a lollipop-shaped head with a syringe-based mechanism. The idea is to give children something more appealing to engage with while allowing caregivers to administer liquid medicine using a marked measuring device.
The product features a central channel through which the medicine flows, allowing the child to enjoy the lollipop while taking the prescribed liquid. The syringe includes 10-millilitre markings to help caregivers measure the intended volume accurately. Rather than relying on a spoon or hoping a child will willingly swallow medicine from a conventional syringe, the design attempts to make the experience more approachable.
Loli-Med's child-oriented design includes a non-removable candy head intended to remain securely attached during use, along with protective caps to help keep the dispenser clean between uses. The syringes are described as BPA-free and made from medical-grade materials. These features are central to the brand's appeal, although parents should still follow the product's instructions and their healthcare professional's guidance when administering medication.
The lollipop itself contains six grams of carbohydrates and 24 calories, alongside vitamin C and isomaltulose, a reduced-sugar carbohydrate. The company also highlights its use of natural colours, including colouring derived from beetroot, rather than artificial dyes. These details help explain the product's design choices, although the lollipop should not be mistaken for a treatment in its own right. Its primary purpose is to assist with the administration of medicine.
Loli-Med's dispenser is designed to make the process relatively simple. Caregivers draw the appropriate medicine into the syringe, secure the dispenser and allow the child to use the lollipop-shaped attachment while the liquid passes through its central channel. It is an uncomplicated concept on paper, which is precisely the point. Nobody needs a complicated new routine when they are already trying to convince a reluctant child that medicine is not the enemy.
The company also states that Loli-Med is registered with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That wording should be understood carefully, however, because FDA registration does not automatically mean a product has been approved or independently endorsed by the agency. Parents should check the manufacturer's current safety instructions, suitability guidance and any relevant medical advice before using the dispenser with a child.
Following its launch, Loli-Med continued building its presence in the children's healthcare market. The founders have filed a patent application, which remains pending, as they work to establish the product's position in a competitive marketplace. A pending application is an important stage in the process, but it does not mean a patent has already been granted.
For families interested in trying the dispenser, Loli-Med's three-pack is listed at $12.99 on the company's official website. The pack features three flavours: Strawberry, Orange and Blueberry. Offering several options gives children a little choice, which can be surprisingly useful when a parent is already negotiating over something as basic as swallowing a dose of medicine.
The company's website also highlights its production process and features accounts from parents who have used the product. Such feedback can help prospective customers understand how the dispenser fits into everyday routines, although individual experiences will naturally vary. A product that works brilliantly for one child may not win over another, particularly when taste preferences and reactions to medicine differ so widely.
Loli-Med has also used social media, especially Instagram, to demonstrate how the dispenser works and explain its intended use. For a relatively new business, showing the product in action can be more effective than simply describing it in promotional language. Parents want to know how something works, how easy it is to clean and whether it will make their own household routines less stressful. A clever product description only goes so far when a child has already decided that the medicine is absolutely unacceptable.
In May 2026, Crystal and Ekhlas attended an event organised by ABC Kids Expo, where they continued introducing Loli-Med to a wider audience. During the event, they crossed paths with content creators Bliss Poureetezadi Goytowski and Zack Goytowski. Two months later, the company showcased its retail packaging, offering another glimpse of its efforts to prepare the product for broader commercial exposure.
The packaging milestone may seem relatively small compared with securing a major retail partnership or expanding distribution, but it still represents a practical step in developing a consumer product. A business needs more than a promising idea: it also needs clear presentation, reliable manufacturing, appropriate safety information and a straightforward way for customers to purchase what it sells. The lollipop dispenser has an instantly recognisable concept, but turning that concept into a sustainable business requires plenty of work behind the scenes.
Loli-Med has received encouraging feedback from parents who appreciate the potential convenience of its design. That response suggests the founders have identified a genuine frustration in family healthcare, even if wider demand and long-term commercial success remain to be established. For now, the business is continuing to promote its product, demonstrate its intended use and build awareness beyond its initial launch.
The founders' appearance on Shark Tank gave them another opportunity to explain why they believe the product deserves attention. Television exposure can introduce a young business to a much larger audience, but visibility alone does not guarantee lasting success. The next stage will depend on whether Loli-Med can turn curiosity into repeat customers, expand its distribution and persuade parents that the dispenser deserves a place in their medicine cabinets.
My Opinion on Loli-Med
Loli-Med is an interesting example of how a relatively simple idea can address an everyday problem that parents know all too well. Getting children to take medicine is hardly glamorous, but it is a genuine challenge, and the founders' pharmacy backgrounds give the concept a practical foundation. The lollipop design could make the experience less intimidating for some children, while the measuring markings offer a useful feature for caregivers. Still, the business must be careful not to suggest that a sweeter presentation makes every medicine routine effortless. Children have their own opinions, and some can reject a favourite flavour with the determination of a restaurant critic returning an entire menu. Safety, accurate dosing, clear instructions and suitability for different ages must remain the priorities. The $12.99 three-pack also gives customers a relatively accessible way to assess the product. Ultimately, Loli-Med has potential, but consistent performance and consumer trust will matter far more than a memorable television pitch.
Loli-Med's story is worth watching because it tackles a small but persistent problem with a product that is easy to understand. Crystal Naoum and Ekhlas Khalaf have combined their pharmacy experience with an entrepreneurial approach, and their next challenge is proving that the idea can grow beyond early interest. Whether the dispenser becomes a regular feature in family medicine cabinets will depend on its practical benefits, safety guidance and ability to meet parents' expectations. Would you try a lollipop-shaped medication dispenser for your child, or do you think the traditional approach works just fine? Share your thoughts, and let us know which everyday parenting problem you think deserves a clever new solution.