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Sanofi’s Nasacort® Allergy 24HR booklet pack with thermoform delivers ‘wow’ factor

Package design uses thermoformed ‘N’ to help make successful switch from prescription-only to over-the-counter sales.

Package design uses thermoformed ‘N’ to help make successful switch from prescription-only to over-the-counter sales.
Package design uses thermoformed ‘N’ to help make successful switch from prescription-only to over-the-counter sales.

If a museum of contemporary over-the-counter pharmaceutical package design were created, it would likely display the Nasacort Allergy 24HR pack from Sanofi Consumer Healthcare Division Chattem Inc., Chattanooga, TN.

Nasacort Allergy 24HR spray provides full prescription-strength 24-hour scent-free and alcohol-free relief for nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose, and itchy nose.

Nancy Limback, Sanofi Manager, Package Development and Innovation, says Nasacort started out as a prescription-only product, but was switched to over-the-counter sales, where it’s now sold in mass merchandising drug stores, retailers such as Wal-Mart, grocery stores, and many other outlets.

Nasacort became available in the first quarter of 2014 in 12- and 60-count spray varieties. Both use the same primary package, featuring an attractive wraparound paperboard pack that includes a thermoformed letter “N” for Nasacort, which holds the bottled product.

Limback says that in July 2014, a two-count 120-spray version was also introduced in the same thermoformed package. There’s also a three-count club package. The average retail price is $13.99 for the 60-metered dose spray and $18.99 for the 120-metered dose spray.

The thermoformed letter approach mimics the company’s previous package design strategy it used to roll out its Allegra allergy medication trial pack about two years ago. In that instance, the company used a thermoformed letter “A” to help the product stand out on shelf (see story here). 

‘First-in-class’ product/package

Limback says the OTC versions represent “totally different packaging appearance compared with the Rx version, which was packaged in a carton printed primarily in white, white with a couple of different colors of print on it. “There was a total revamp for the retail market,” she notes.

Nasacort represents what Sanofi refers to as a “first-in-class product” launch for what is considered an intranasal corticosteroid drug.

“We really wanted to grab the consumer's attention,” says Limback. “It had to stand out. There were cartons and blisters for allergy products on the market, but nothing that had this kind of combination to it. We believe it’s the first in this category of retail nasal sprays in this type of package. Doing that was helpful in making it different on the shelf.”

Besides providing shelf presence to spark sales, the clear thermoform allows consumers to see the bottle of product inside, which isn’t always the case with competitive OTC allergy relief products. “The new pack has helped us increase sales and build our consumer base,” she says.

Secondary packaging considerations

The pack opens much like a book, with a cover and a perfect-bound spine. The front panel provides basic product name and purpose. The back panel and spine are printed with drug facts. Once the pack is opened, the left panel offers area for additional graphics or a coupon for a future purchase. The right panel contains the “N”-shaped blister. In the left vertical portion of the N is a folded insert with usage instructions. The right portion of the vertical N holds the labeled spray container.

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INTRODUCING! The Latest Trends for Life Sciences at PACK EXPO Southeast