Coloured-pack generic range to expand
Products in the Almus range are brightly coloured |
The brightly coloured packaging of a new range of generic products has been so successful that a large expansion is planned for the autumn, according to Almus Pharmaceuticals. Almus is to add 82 products to
its current range of 35, which was launched in April. A further expansion
will follow in the middle of next year with the addition of 95 products.
Before the range was launched, the company undertook research to determine
why pharmacists purchased particular generic products. Two different
types of customer were identified: one group that made a decision based
purely on price and the other where continuity was key. This helped Almus
to identify a gap in the market where pharmacists wanted improved packaging.
Careen Snadden, an independent consultant to the company, said that dispensaries
were often a “sea of white” with few beacon products for
pharmacists to use to navigate their way around the shelves.
Therefore, all packs in the Almus range are brightly coloured with a
band of a contrasting colour where the strength is printed so it is clearly
distinguishable. For one particular drug, all strengths will have the
same background colour with different colours for the strength bar. There
is no pattern to the colour choice. “We specifically wanted it
to be random so that pharmacists do not rely on the colour,” said
Ms Snadden. However, products that are commonly co-prescribed have different
colours to help patients distinguish between boxes more easily. Equally,
different drugs that are commonly placed next to each other on dispensary
shelves are given different colours.
Since the range was launched, sales have grown by 18 per cent. Almus
currently has 2 per cent of the market share.
Almus does not manufacture products itself; instead the company sources
products from a number of licence holders. The Almus range is available
exclusively through OTC Direct and UniChem.
Tony Foreman, managing director of OTC Direct, said that he believed
the next phase of product launches this autumn would lead to Almus becoming
one of the top five generic manufacturers in the UK. The launch of the
third phase in 2004 should develop the company further so that it becomes
one of the top two generic manufacturers, he added.
Mr Foreman commented that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency has rated the Almus range as excellent and that he thought it
would become a benchmark for the future. |
