The market for over-the-counter pharmaceuticals has grown significantly over the last several years, and this upward trend is not showing any signs of slowing down. According to Mordor Intelligence, the industry is expected to grow at a 6.65% CAGR over the forecast period of 2022-2027. The category of OTC drugs is a large one, including items from cold and fever medications to topical analgesics.

Part of the increase in consumer spending in this sector is due to the trend of people becoming health-conscious in new ways and regularly searching for health-promoting products. Another predicted area of significant growth in OTC pharmaceuticals in the coming years is the transition of some commonly used prescription-only medications becoming available over the counter. Consumers are more frequently considering themselves informed enough to make health decisions without consulting a doctor, which is another factor driving the outlook of this sector. For these and other reasons, the growth pattern demonstrated over the last decade is not expected to slow during the coming years.

With the increasing demand for and sales of OTC pharmaceuticals, companies in this sector are finding themselves with greater and new demands for packaging. According to Label and Narrow Web, growth will be most dramatic in countries such as China and India where companies are currently diversifying into the industry in a big way, but the United States will remain the largest market based on volume and mix of drug shipment. Although nearly all industries have their own specific concerns with packaging, OTC drug companies may face even more perplexing questions when it comes to creating the right label because of all the regulatory requirements and consumer concerns regarding health products.

One of our areas of expertise at Dion Label Printing is OTC pharmaceutical and supplement packaging. Unique from other labels, OTC pharmaceutical labels are especially dependent upon quality, accuracy, and detailed documentation. To ensure compliance is met, Dion is registered with the FDA and compliant with both FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11, which regulates security of electronic records.

We offer a wide variety of solutions to our partners in the OTC Pharmaceutical field, including extended content options, security features, and shrink sleeves. Discover the various ways we can help you find the right label and packaging options for your brand.

EXTENDED CONTENT LABELS

Extended content labels, also known as ECLs and expanded content labels, are extremely effective tools for OTC pharmaceutical companies. While traditional labels are printed on one side of a piece of material, ECLs give you more space for a wide variety of information and can free space up on the front of your label for branding and essential product information.

With so much regulatory information to include, extended content labels are an excellent solution for OTC Pharmaceutical manufacturers. Dion Label Printing offers a variety of extended content labels including vial labels which are perfect for very small containers, peel back labels which provide one panel of extra print space, and booklet labels which we can customize to include several extra panels. Find which ECL is right for your OTC pharma product here.

SECURITY

With OTC pharmaceuticals, counterfeiting and other safety concerns are often center stage in product packaging, and Dion has the tools and knowledge to create packaging to assuage any worries about safety and legitimacy. We can provide tamper-evident labels and tamper-proof shrink sleeves. Adding microtext, also known as microprinting, is one way to add anti-counterfeiting features without high added cost. Another security feature that adds very low cost to a label is using black light additives in your labels as a security check. We can add an optical brightener additive into coatings that indicate if the label is counterfeit or not when put under a black light. Other security features including clear and foil seals are also available but will often add some additional cost to a label. Learn more about our security options here.

SHRINK SLEEVES

A shrink sleeve is a 360-degree printed piece of film that shrinks with heat or steam to fit around various shaped containers. Shrink sleeves can be designed to cover an entire product container or only a portion of the container. Because of their 360-degree print surface, shrink sleeves maximize real estate for design and product information.

One of the most common uses for shrink sleeves among OTC Pharmaceutical brands is for twin packs of product. You can learn more about the unique benefits shrink sleeves provide here.

We are a trusted label supplier for large OTC pharmaceutical brands including Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid, so you can rest assured that we can provide your company with the packaging you need. Contact us today to get started!