CDS22-formula

Yes. Vivomixx was the European name for the De Simone Formulation until 2025, when the same product was renamed CDS22-formula. The eight strains, the NCIMB strain numbers and the ratio between them are unchanged. If you were buying Vivomixx 112 Billion capsules or 450 Billion sachets, CDS22-formula is the same product in a new carton.

It is a specific eight strain probiotic blend created by Professor Claudio De Simone, made up of one Streptococcus thermophilus, four lactobacilli and three bifidobacteria, each identified by its own NCIMB deposit number. What makes it a formulation rather than a strain list is the fixed ratio between the eight and the process used to make them, both of which are proprietary.

It was. The De Simone Formulation was sold under the VSL#3 name until February 2016. After that the product sold as VSL#3 no longer contained the original formulation, and the De Simone Formulation continued under other names: Vivomixx and now CDS22-formula in Europe, Visbiome in the United States and Canada.

It comes down to strength and format. The capsules hold 112 billion live bacteria each and are taken one to four a day with water. The sachets hold 450 billion each, roughly four times as much in a single serve, and are stirred into a cool drink or yoghurt instead of swallowed. Choose the sachets if you want the higher count or would rather not swallow a capsule, and the capsules if you want something simple to carry.

Yes, store it between 2 and 8 degrees. These are live bacteria and heat reduces the count. The manufacturer allows up to one week at room temperature, as long as it stays below 25 degrees, so a few days out of the fridge will not spoil it.

It should be. The manufacturer's own stability allowance is up to a week at room temperature below 25 degrees, which covers a normal New Zealand delivery. Put it in the fridge as soon as it arrives. If a courier delay means it has been in transit much longer than that, or it arrives warm after sitting in a hot car or letterbox, call us before you take it.

Capsules: one to four a day, preferably before a meal, with water. Many people take them in the morning on an empty stomach, in the evening, or both.

Sachets: stir one into a cool, non-fizzy drink, yoghurt or fruit juice and drink it straight away. Never add either format to anything hot, because heat kills the bacteria. A capsule can also be opened and the powder stirred into cool food if swallowing is difficult.

The sachets are the format to use. The manufacturer's amounts are one to two sachets a day from seven years, and up to half a sachet a day from three to six years. For a child under three, or for any child on regular medicine, ask us or your doctor first.

Both formats are gluten free and soy free, with no preservatives, colouring agents or synthetic sweeteners, and the capsule shell is vegetable rather than gelatine. The packs carry a may contain traces of milk warning, so it is not suitable if you have a diagnosed milk allergy. Check the carton yourself before you take it.