RELEEV Treatment Switches Packaging for Theft Relief

Merix Pharmaceutical Corp has switched its retail packaging for RELEEV™ 1 Day Cold Sore Symptom Treatment to the effective and award-winning BlisterGuard® security package from Colbert Packaging to thwart tampering and pilferage at Walgreens and Kmart stores. Merix, based in Barrington, IL, had been asked by the two chains to provide better pilfer-resistant packaging. RELEEV is a cold sore medication that has proven to relieve the painful symptoms of cold sores in just a day, and it is the most expensive remedy on the market. Dori Squires, vice president of Merix, explains that RELEEV comes in a tube which can easily fit into someone's pocket or purse if the outer package is breached.

The paper-based BlisterGuard package from Colbert is highly printable, enabling a manufacturer better shelf presentation of its product. It is made of Everest® Safe-Pak fold-over blister board from International Paper, a heat-sealable, tear-resistant bleached paperboard laminated with a multi-layer high-strength film from Valéron® Strength Films, which makes it virtually tear-proof.

Squires also explains that the package is cost-effective and durable, with a large print area for more compelling graphics. "When we showed it to brokers and buyers, they really liked the look of the new package and were thrilled with the tamper resistant quality," says Squires. And to assure that a shoplifter does not simply take the entire package and leave the store, Colbert also applies Sensormatic® and Checkpoint® source tags to the packaging during printing. These tags will set off a store alarm if an unpaid-for-package passes through the store's metal detectors.