Novartis, Somaxon Pharma and Catalent win 2010 Compliance Packages of the Year awards

The climax of the annual meeting of the Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council (HCPC; Alexandria, VA), now called RxAdherence 2011, is the awards for best trade package, and most innovative design, introduced in the past year. The results for 2010 are:

• 2010 Compliance Package of the Year: Novartis’ Diovan HCT® Shellpak®

• Innovative Design: DelPouch® Starter Kit by Catalent Pharma Solutions

• CPY First Runner Up: Somaxon Pharmaceuticals’ Silenor® Patient Starter Kit

• CPY Second Runner Up: Three Rivers Pharmaceutical’s Ribasphere® Ribapak for Ribavirin Tablets

The Novartis award winner was submitted by Novartis’ contract packager, Anderson Packaging, Inc. and includes the Shellpak wallet, a patented, rigid-plastic design from MeadWestvaco. Inside the wallet are a 30-d regimen of Diovan (valsartan, a hypertension drug) in a blister card, a calendar feature, patient information and contact resources. Additional patient information is provided on the outer surfaces of the wallet.

The innovation award was earned by Catalent Pharma Solutions’ DelPouch is for a container holding unit dosages of topical creams or pastes. Catalent can provide it with reminder-prompting configurations, and can include its Media Enhanced Packaging technology, which allows for smartphone connectivity between the package and a brand owner’s Web resources.

The Silenor starter kit, also produced by Anderson Packaging, has an engaging carton design that resembles a home bedroom (Silenor, doxepin, is a non-narcotic sleep aid). A Somaxon corporate release notes that as of early November, the company had distributed over 250,000 of the starter kits. A seven-count blister card is provided along with a prescription discount card, medication guide and other literature. The Three Rivers Pharma product, a generic treatment for hepatitis C, is in a compliance package produced by Sharp Corp.

The winners of the Package of the Year, Innovation Award and First-Runner-Up get to choose a university-based packaging-education program to receive scholarships sponsored by HCPC.