Starter pack packs punch for Alli

• A clear plastic shrink-film overwrap.

• A two-piece, non-hinged, rigid outer tray. The clear top includes a pressure-sensitive (p-s) label printed with the alli brand name, product information, and a listing of contents. The label extends onto an edge of the white tray. Another p-s label covers the entire tray bottom and is printed with drug facts, usage information, warnings, directions, a bar code, a lot number and an expiration date.

• Inside the outer tray is a white thermoformed PET tray affixed with two anti-theft devices. The tray measures about 2½” at its deepest point. It includes three cavities. One cavity holds the different booklets (shown above) within a clear plastic band. There’s a “Read Me First” guide to successful weight loss, a welcome guide, a “Companion Guide,” a “Healthy Eating Guide,” a “Calorie and Fat Counter,” a “Daily Journal,” and Quick Facts Cards for support.

A second cavity holds capsules in a white HDPE bottle. Topped with a white closure, the bottle includes a foil-based tamper-evident liner. A full-body wraparound bottle label is printed with many of the same details that appear on the outer tray.

The third cavity holds a blue, patent-pending package called the Shuttle. According to GSK literature, the Shuttle “makes it easy to carry the alli capsules so you can have them with you at every meal, wherever you go.”

Although a GSK spokesperson told Healthcare Packaging that the company preferred not to participate in this article, a March 5, 2007 Brandweek article identified Ideo as the designer of the alli support materials. The article said the alli launch is significant in that “GlaxoSmithKline is trying to get off the drug package design treadmill of standard-sized bottles, boxes, and blister packs that all look the same on the drugstore shelf.”