Single-Day Packs Among OTC Packaging Innovations Needed – Consultant

Making OTC drugs available in blister packs containing a single day's supply could reinforce appropriate dosing, according to packaging consultant Ed Bauer.

"Instead of having a large card of blisters holding all the tablets on one blister card, why don't we break that card up to be what a daily dose could be?" said Bauer, a senior associate at Packaging and Technology Integrated Solutions.

"It's a way of saying, 'This is the maximum dose of an OTC product that you should take.' It's a little more subtle way of communicating," he said.

Another way to improve blister packs would be to put a full dose inside a single blister, he added.

He discussed single-day blister cards and other OTC packaging innovation ideas May 8 at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association's Regulatory & Scientific Conference in Washington (see related story: " ¹ (Also see "Tailored Dosing Devices Could Improve Compliance, FDA's Levy Says" - Pink Sheet, 2 Jun, 2008.) ".

In drug packaging, consumers look for convenience, usage reminders, performance, easy access and portability, Bauer explained (see chart: " ² OTC Compliance Issues ").

He pointed out health care providers support packaging innovations because health care costs would be reduced with improved medication compliance.

However, insufficient study data is available to determine the effects of packaging, education and monitoring on consumer adherence, Bauer added.

Bauer attributed intentional non-compliance to consumers' fears of side effects of medications, cost, inconvenience, uncertainty, confusion or when a consumer does not feel the need to take the drug.

Unintentional non-compliance occurs when consumers are confused by multiple medications, do not know how many pills to take, or forget to take them.

Some elderly consumers are more likely to become confused because of multiple medications they need to take daily.

Bauer noted that because people are living longer, more will receive treatment for chronic conditions, whether with Rx or OTC drugs, and frequently involving multiple medications.

He said "today's standard" for coordinating multiple medications for adherence are clear blister-pack containers, organized by the days of the week.

Bauer described the pros and cons of various OTC packaging - bottles, blister packs, pouches and liquid doses - and noted improvements that could increase compliance (see chart: " ³ OTC Solid Dose Packaging Outlook ").

Pouches need easy-open, child-resistant features. Improvements in bottle closures and labeling are needed, including making closures child-resistant but also easy enough to open for consumers with arthritis.

With liquid OTCs, Bauer said unit-dose options and daily-dose organizers are needed because it is difficult to track doses.

Dosage control is not the only innovation needed in blister packs. They should also be easier to open.

For example, Procter & Gamble is rolling out packaging for Prilosec OTC that provides easier access to the proton pump inhibitor. The product's blister cards are made with a thinner foil material and without a peel-back layer (⁴ (Also see "Prilosec OTC Packaging Change Gives Consumers Easier Access" - Pink Sheet, 26 May, 2008.), p. 14).

P&G said it changed the packaging in part because consumers told the company about "the challenge" of the two-step process - first peeling back the seal, and then pushing a pill out of the blister pack.

Bauer also listed "exotic solutions" including InforMedix's Med-eMonitor, which includes alarms and reminders for users to take medications. The device also tracks doses, identifies possible drug interactions and provides a telephone connection to a drug database.

Other solutions include online databases, such as iGuard.org, which posts warnings of interactions between Rx drugs, OTCs and herbals.

- Katie Stevenson ([email protected])