SCHERING-PLOUGH TO BEGIN SHIPPING DRIXORAL COUGH LIQUID CAPS BY AUGUST
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
SCHERING-PLOUGH TO BEGIN SHIPPING DRIXORAL COUGH LIQUID CAPS BY AUGUST, with the new product expected to be available to consumers this fall in retail drug, mass merchandise and supermarket outlets nationwide, the company said. Schering is positioning the Drixoral line extension as "the only liquid cap available to consumers to specifically treat coughs associated with colds," the company said. Drixoral Liquid Caps contain 30 mg dextromethorphan each, a dosing which product packaging says is equivalent to two teaspoons of liquid cough suppressant. Drixoral Cough Liquid Caps will be available in two-, 10- or 20-cap packages at a suggested retail price of 79", $ 4.39 and $ 7.69, respectively. Robins also plans to usher in new liquid cap products this fall, Robitussin Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels and Robitussin Severe Congestion Liqui-Gels (see preceding story). "The major consumer advantages of Drixoral Cough Liquid Caps include its ability to deliver eight hours of cough relief and the fact that it eliminates the unpleasant taste of liquids because you swallow one cap without tasting the medicine," Schering-Plough said. The Liquid Cap format also provides "accurate dosing" and "no chance for spillage," the company noted. Packaging, which is similar in appearance to packaging for other items in the Drixoral line, emphasizes that the Liquid Caps are a "concentrated formula," "maximum strength," "non-drowsy" and "alcohol-free." Warwick, Baker & Fiore is handling what Schering-Plough characterizes as the "biggest introductory promotional support campaign in Drixoral's history." Promos will include television spots breaking in the fall. Free-standing inserts also are slated for Sept. 26 (79"), Nov. 7 (79") and Jan. 9, 1994 (75"), according to promotional materials for the trade. Cross-ruff coupons of $ 1 will promote Drixoral Cough Liquid Caps in conjunction with Coricidin and other products in the Drixoral line. Schering-Plough anticipates that first-year sales of the product will reach $ 20 mil. based on favorable market trends. In materials to the trade, for example, the firm notes that Liquid Caps is the "fastest-growing segment in the market. In 1992, Liquid Cap products grew 272% and have a 2% share of the cold market with $ 42 mil. in sales with three brands." Schering-Plough also is planning the debut of an Afrin line extension for the fall, Afrin Extra Moisturizing Formula (oxymetazoline .05%). The company explained that the new product "addresses two specific consumer concerns about nasal sprays. Afrin Extra Moisturizing provides fast, decongestant relief and soothes dry, irritated nasal passages. It also does not cause burning or stinging." Afrin Extra Moisturizing Formula will be available in a 15 ml, 12-hour spray. Schering-Plough expects to support the line extension with a "national television advertising campaign" and seasonal FSIs on Sept. 26 and Nov. 7, trade materials note. Product packaging as well as trade materials underscore that Afrin is "#1 in doctor recommendations." Schering-Plough added in the materials that nasal sprays represent "almost 10% of the $ 2.4 bil. cough/cold category," with Afrin the leader in the category "with dollar shares totaling over 32.3%."
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SCHERING-PLOUGH TO BEGIN SHIPPING DRIXORAL COUGH LIQUID CAPS BY
AUGUST, with the new product expected to be available to consumers
this fall in retail drug, mass merchandise and supermarket outlets
nationwide, the company said. Schering is positioning the Drixoral
line extension as "the only liquid cap available to consumers to
specifically treat coughs associated with colds," the company said.
Drixoral Liquid Caps contain 30 mg dextromethorphan each, a dosing
which product packaging says is equivalent to two teaspoons of
liquid cough suppressant. |