Part 2: Making Medicine Consumption Convenient With Innovative Packaging

Part 1: Not Just the Pill, the Pack Matters Too

Dr Reddy’s Gives Human Touch to Medicine Packaging

Think of medicine and we think of pills. It tops our mind.

But what about the pain points associated with it? We experience them on a daily basis. And while they exist and are a reality, we tend to live with those, having accepted the fact that nothing could be done about it.

Dr Reddy’s, which always puts patient first, has once again taken upon itself the onerous task of fulfilling all the unmet needs of patients, even ancillary and latent, so that their experience of medicine is not only convenient and easy, but something that ensures adherence.

So moving beyond merely meeting the technical and regulatory requirements, Dr Reddy’s has innovated with packaging, the first pharma player in India to do so, in an attempt to address the ‘invisible’ challenges patients face.

Redesigning Packaging: Little things that make big difference

The company interviewed patients, doctors and pharmacists across the country to understand the pain points. Keeping patient conveniences and priorities in mind, Dr Reddy’s introduced innovative blister packaging, with advantages like:

STUB EXTENSION: On which the brand name, expiry date, and MRP are printed, so they can be read even if the patient consumes all the pills from the pack. This feature helps patients identify a particular medicine among the rest of his or her medication and aids the ease of repurchase.

A DOSING MATRIX: Which allows the doctor’s prescription to be recorded on the pack itself, critical feature that can greatly ensure adherence. Now the pack can very easily tell us when to take the medicine - during morning, afternoon or night.

BI-MONTHLY DOSAGE PACKS: The 14-pill pack helps establish a weekly, fortnightly or monthly buying pattern, which is easier to adhere to. The volume of medicine on the strip maps the actual usage, making it easier to remember when to go for next purchase and easier to adhere to the medicine schedule.

COLOR-CODED STUBS: Identifying different strengths of the same medicine is equally critical to chemists and patients. The color-coded stubs enable easy identification even for semi-literate or non-literate patients, thus enabling convenience and adherence.

Despite the exercise costing the company significantly, Dr Reddy’s has begun implementing the innovation in its products without passing the cost burden to patients. The company consistently strives to make patients valued by making its products patient-friendly and accessible.

Because it understands that care is not only about pills, it goes beyond.

Watch more - Part 3 - Dr. Reddy's Video on Strip Innovation