Medical Device Link.

Originally Published PMPN October 2001

PHARMACEUTICAL

Folding Cartons: Not Just for Stacking

Today's cartons offer flashier designs, fold-out panels, and compliance-enhancing configurations.

Ursula Jones, Contributor

Walk down the aisle of any drugstore and you'll see row after row of colorful, eye-catching products staring back at you. No, you're not in the cosmetics aisle; you're looking at the cartons of today's over-the-counter (OTC) and ethical pharmaceuticals. Gone are the days when folding cartons served as mere containers for stacking or protecting the products inside. Today's cartons serve many more functions. On one hand, they must grab the consumer's eye. With so many OTC drugs competing for the same dollars, manufacturers must not only make their products look appealing to a potential customer, but they must also differentiate their product from that of the competition. Cartons can also be used to communicate a great deal of information to the patient. Some companies are even abandoning the venerable insert and, instead, are printing all of the user information on the carton itself. And more recently, cartons are even beginning to aid in patient compliance. Such interactive cartons are making it easier for consumers to take the right amount of medication at the right time.

Cartons for medical devices and pharmaceuticals, like these by Vistacolor, look like those for over-the-counter products to attract doctors and pharmacists.

SHELF APPEAL

More than ever before, drug companies are using folding cartons as marketing tools. And as ethical drugs become eligible for sale over the counter, manufacturers must redesign their packaging with an eye toward increasing the product's shelf appeal, to convey that all-important brand identity.

"The big change is in graphics," says Chris Madison, sales manager for Graphic Packaging Corp. (Yardley, PA). "This work used to be two and three colors; now it's five and six colors. We're even doing UV coatings, metallized film, and laminations onto paperboard. Some of it is rivaling cosmetics," he says.

This is especially true of OTC products that are new to the market and are purchased by impulse, says Randy Lindert, manager of new business development for the Rxperts Printing Alliance, which is made up of Beck Carton Corp. (Milwaukee), Flottman Co. (Covington, KY), and Pharmalabel (Greensboro, NC). "An excellent color scheme combined with graphics that tell the story of what the product is used for will attract the consumer to the package," Lindert says. "The value-added graphics, along with copy that is easy to read and informative, create a positive impression with consumers on the efficacy of the product."

Adding more colors doesn't significantly affect carton costs. But adding UV coatings could mean an extra cost of up to 5%, says Madison. This is because the sheets must typically go onto a second press. "In the case of metallized films, which are laminated to the board, that could mean increases from 5 to 8%," he says.

Even cartons used for ethical products are being redesigned for added impact. With the increase in direct-to-consumer advertising, drug companies are much more aware of product image and branding, even for products that consumers never see on the shelf. "We're seeing some of the ethical products becoming flashier," says Robin Henfling, president of Arlington Press, Pharmaceutical Group of Impaxx (Brooklyn, NY). "Pharmaceutical companies are trying to go directly to the consumer, even on the Rx drugs. So we've been starting to see more colors and graphics on the Rx side, especially on their physician samples."

Fluted cartons for syringes from Dividella can carry product and patient information on their top flaps.

To this end, Caraustar Custom Packaging offers multiple printing processes, like offset and flexography with UV ink systems, as well as foil stamping and holographic laminations for pharmaceutical companies that require "OTC flash, but Rx dependability," says Laura Gustin, vice president of sales of Caraustar's Specialty Packaging Division.

According to Madison, pharmaceutical manufacturers will often create flashy cartons for the sole purpose of being photographed for the product's advertising campaigns. It all boils down to branding. "The package is the ultimate test, because that's what consumers hold in their hand. That's what they have time to read and digest," says Tom Smythe, president and CEO of Keller Crescent (Evansville, IN). "It's a reflection of the marketing direction of the company to be more consumer-friendly."

THE SEARCH FOR SPACE

With new FDA labeling regulations coming into effect next year, drug companies are scrambling to find a way to accommodate all of the additional text while still presenting an attractive, easy-to-use package.

Anticipating this challenge, Diamond Packaging (Rochester, NY) developed Design Relief cartons to deliver expanded surface area without significant changes in cost or carton size. One technique is to use fold-out or fifth panels on the carton. Such fold-out panels serve a dual purpose, says Dennis Bacchetta, marketing manager at Diamond Packaging. Not only will the extra panel accommodate all of the necessary patient information, but it also serves as billboard space for product-identity elements and logos. "One of the benefits is that manufacturers can put all their information on a carton that's approximately the same size as the old carton, so they don't lose any shelf space," Bacchetta explains.

A second design incorporates a pull-tab panel that extends to reveal additional drug information or even promotional content such as coupons or cross-brand marketing.

But according to Bob Murray, vice president of sales at PCI Services' Printed Components Div. (Philadelphia), using fifth panels can add between 20 and 25% to the package cost. "In some cases, they'll just make the carton a little bigger without adding a fifth panel," Murray says. "But then they get into the question of whether they're deceiving the consumer by making the box look significantly bigger than the product. So they have to strike a balance there."

Rxperts' Lindert says costs can rise dramatically when a package is redesigned, especially if extended panels are needed, the size of the carton is changed, or both. "These changes may also affect how the carton performs on the cartoner it is going to be run on. The new carton may run at slower speeds than the original one, thereby increasing costs. It may be that a new cartoner needs to be installed to run the new extended-content carton, which again may add cost," Lindert explains.

Arlington Press has come up with a new way of displaying the additional information. The company has developed what Henfling calls the "cartonsert." This insert-carton combination enables the drug manufacturer to get extended information onto the outside of the carton so that the consumer can see it without opening and destroying the package.

Even the inside of the carton is being utilized more. "By printing information on the inside of a carton, you can then exclude a fifth panel, an extended-text label, or even an insert, which will also lower packaging costs," says Michael Little, marketing manager for Rex Corp. (Jacksonville, FL). "For the consumer, the ability to write the days they have to take the medication directly onto the packaging provides an easy reminder and an added convenience."

By printing instructions onto the inside of the carton and eliminating an insert, companies could save as much as 15% of their raw-material costs, says Juan Roque, vice president of sales and marketing for Miami-based Vistacolor Corp. But the bigger cost savings comes from having one less step in the packaging process to perform, he says. Whether the inserts are manually inserted or the process is automated, eliminating that extra step can help product manufacturers reap tremendous savings.

In the end, drug companies may need to use a combination of these techniques to get all the necessary information on their package. The key is how well it's executed. "The search for space is unending, both from a communications standpoint and from a regulatory standpoint," says Keller Crescent's Smythe. "But just as important is the use of the space, what has priority, and how well the package is designed to communicate the important aspects of the product."

KEEPING A HANDLE ON QUALITY

Another major concern for drug manufacturers is, of course, the quality of the package. Quality control is especially important in this industry, because even a tiny error in the text on the carton or insert could lead to patient injury or even death. And because manufacturers may produce different cartons to package different dosages of medicines, it's critical for drug companies and suppliers alike to institute strict quality measures.

This past August, in fact, private-label drug manufacturer Perrigo Co. (Allegan, MI) had to recall one of its lots of children's liquid pain reliever when it discovered that the product may contain up to 29% more acetaminophen than the packaging states. Clearly, this is a scenario that drug companies want to avoid at all costs.

"Pharmaceutical printing must be the highest quality printing possible," says Vistacolor's Roque. He says that the key to ensuring this quality is using color coding and carton segregation. Another quality-assurance technique that's gaining popularity is the use of bar codes during the carton-printing process. "At the folding and gluing stage, the bar codes ensure that the proper carton is being used," Roque says.

PCI Services also uses bar codes to ensure quality. "Electronic scanning of text is coming, and I'm sure we're going to see a lot more of that over the next three to five years," says Murray.

Multidimensional cartons can secure almost any drug or device. Photo courtesy Margo, an Alcan Packaging Company. Photo by Claude-Simon Langlois.

Michael Rubenstein, vice president and general manager for Margo, an Alcan Packaging company (Montreal), says his company uses bar codes and other electronic scanning devices for quality control purposes. "We have closed-loop color scanning equipment that measures the density of the inks," Rubenstein says. "There's also on-line statistical process control. If there's any variance from standard, then the operator tells the machine to correct."

Caraustar also relies on a closed-loop converting system. "Our nine-color narrow-web flexo press, for instance, allows us to run a closed-loop, one-up manufacturing line, nearly eliminating the chance of carton mixing because the final converting process is in-line," says Gustin.

Keller Crescent has put scanners on its equipment to verify colors, registration, and gluing accuracy. "What we're after is the highest possible quality carton that can be delivered to the client that requires the minimal amount of incoming QC inspection on their part," says Smythe. "We want to go direct from our line to their line, so it reduces time and cost without the risk of missing copy, etc."

INCREASING COMPLIANCE

Folding cartons are also being used in an interactive fashion to aid in patient compliance. For example, microchips like those seen in some greeting cards are finding applications in OTC drug packages. And pull tabs on cartons can also increase compliance. "On the carton, you tear off the days that you're using, or you slide across the pull tab to make sure you're using the product in the proper manner based on the information on the carton," says Graphic Packaging's Madison.

"We're seeing folded-carton designs incorporate blister cards and all sorts of different configurations to where they're not just straight rectangular carriers," says Keller Crescent's Smythe. "They permit the carriers to be more of a merchandising tool because you can add user information and also capture information using a response card about the demographic profile of who's taking the medicine."

One of Vistacolor's customers manufactures estrogen-replacement transdermal patches. The carton they designed is shaped like a makeup compact. The top flips open to reveal user instructions, and on the inside flap, a compliance schedule is printed with days of the week and check boxes to help patients remember which days to change their patches. The box can then be reclosed and neatly stowed away.

Dividella makes special-purpose fluted cartons that hold syringes and vials. When opened, the top flap of the carton serves as another vehicle for printed information. Because the patient is now looking at the objects in the carton, the company can print user information directly on the fluted partitions. For instance, if syringes were packaged inside the carton, the company could print the days of the week for when they should be used.

The company is also working toward converting its carton-erecting machine to be able to make wallet packs. "We're introducing a new product that will provide almost a half-carton, half-wallet pack that will look just like a top-load glued carton that can fit in a pocket. "When you open the top cover, the wallet pack for blisters is built into the carton, and can be operated just like a normal wallet pack," says Mike DeCollibus, U.S. agent for Dividella. "It can then be re-closed and put back in your pocket."

MORE THAN JUST A PACKAGE

In today's ultracompetitive OTC drug market, manufacturers must find an edge wherever they can. And using folding cartons as a way to differentiate a product and increase its shelf appeal is an excellent place to start.

And with new FDA labeling regulations coming into effect soon, OTC drug manufacturers are being forced to redesign their cartons in order to comply. Many of them are taking this opportunity to pay more attention to what those cartons convey. Whether that means simply adding new colors and graphics or completely overhauling the package's structure, drug companies know that today's OTC cartons are more than just a carrier. They're an important marketing tool.

Copyright © 2001 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News