KRAMER LABS' SAFE TUSSIN 30 CLEAR EXPECTORANT COUGH SUPPRESSANT

KRAMER LABS' SAFE TUSSIN 30 CLEAR EXPECTORANT COUGH SUPPRESSANT is expected to be available on retail shelves by mid- July, the Miami, Fla.-based company said. Safe Tussin 30 will be targeted to the older adult population and diabetics initially. To back the debut, print ads will be running in August in Mature Outlook and in New Choices in September. Ads appeared in Diabetes Self-Management in June and in Diabetes Forecast in May. The product is currently being shipped in a four ounce SKU but other sizes may follow, Kramer indicated. The company said it is looking at other approaches including one-dose packs and lozenges. The product contains 200 mg of guaifenesin and 30 mg of dextromethorphan as active ingredients. Inactives are listed as citric acid, benzoic acid, glycerin, sorbitol, peppermint, menthol and water. Safe Tussin 30 cough suppressant contains "no sugar, no alcohol, no antihistamines, no artificial colors or dyes," according to a press release announcing the product. Kramer explained that its aim was to develop "an effective cough medication for millions of Americans whose medical conditions are adversely affected by the ingredients now found in other formulas." Kramer is touting Safe Tussin 30 as "the first cough formula made with a totally clear solution." However, Kramer denies that the product was intentionally designed to capitalize on the current trend toward clear H&BAs and other consumer products. A company spokesperson said the product's transparency and lack of color occurred "by accident" as a result of Kramer's efforts to create a product with little more than the medicine for the intended indication. The company will be promoting Safe Tussin 30 with the tagline: "The clear solution for your cough." Kramer Labs is not making predictions on total ad spending support for the Safe Tussin 30 launch. However, the company said that ad spending is currently running at approximately $ 30,000 per month and could increase to "two to three times that" in September. Kramer eventually plans to market the product to the general consumer with coupons in free-standing inserts as well as through television and radio commercials. The expanded ad campaign could premier during the upcoming cough/cold season, the firm stated. In the meantime, Kramer's 23-person sales force is promoting the product to doctors and pharmacists. Trade ads are running in Drug Store News, Drug Topics and Pharmacy Times. Safe Tussin 30 was test marketed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region and Rhode Island/Boston from October 1992 through mid- January. Pharmacies in those markets were mailed a sample kit of Safe Tussin 30 and the products were backed with "extensive cable and local radio commercials," the firm said. Privately held Kramer Labs distributes and markets a line of OTC pharmaceuticals, including Charcoal Plus, an antiflatulent; Fungi-Nail, their best-selling product; and Halfprin, a low-dose aspirin product. Kramer also markets one prescription product, Yohimex, for the treatment of male erectile impotence. Kramer does not manufacture its own products and instead relies on two contract manufacturers. The ad agency for Kramer's entire line is Coral Gables, Fla.-based Tirador & Associates.