Consumer
Healthcare Aerosols
In a report on medication compliance,1 the World Health
Organization (WHO) reported, “increasing the effectiveness
of adherence interventions may have a far greater impact on
the health of the population than any improvement in specific
medical treatments.” Among patients with chronic illness, approximately
50% do not take medications as prescribed.
Within the healthcare products universe, compliance is king.
After all, a product not taken as intended stands to be a potentially
ineffective
treatment. Within
this article,
we will discuss
various aerosols
and pressurized
dispensing
systems and how
these product
forms are playing
well beyond their
traditional role
of convenience
into the greater
critical role of
healthcare compliance
and increasing the efficacy of traditional over-the-counter
(O-T-C) pharmaceuticals.
Over the years, some market segments have developed easy-tounderstand
packaging approaches to help signal intended use/
consumption regimens. Take for example, oral contraceptives.
Prior to 1962, such products were sold in 100-count pill bottles,
with no obvious or intuitive signal of the ideal consumption compliance
procedures. Then the dial pack was introduced, which was
designed to help users remember to take them accurately and as
intended. Later, Norinyl introduced an improved package format
that took the original sequential design and then added several
features that enhanced compliance, including a row of placebo
pills allowing users to take a pill every day of the month, making
them less likely to forget to start a new pack.2
It was the combination of package innovation (dial pack) and
product innovation (addition of placebo to complete a 28-day
compliance schedule) that brought clarity to compliance. In a
similar vein, pressurized packaging formats stand to help many
healthcare users in their pursuit of effective self-care regimens by
lowering the boundaries to regular, prescribed use.
The benefits of pressurized package formats are well documented;
targeted application, high product evacuation rates and the
ability to create a wide range of unique dispensing forms are but
a few examples. Increasingly, such formats are being recognized
as irreplaceable in the healthcare field, where enhanced product
preservation needs, comfort of application and pharmacoeconomics
factors (such as caregiver labor rates and patient compliance)
are being scrutinized with ever increasing rigor.
Dr. Smith’s 10% Zinc Oxide Adult Barrier Spray, for the treatment
of symptoms associated with adult incontinence, is a benchmark
example of how creation of a pressurized dispensing system,
geared toward increasing enhanced medical benefits, has helped
to transform the patient/caregiver experience while also reducing
overall pharmacoeconomic costs for healthcare facilities.
Within the nursing home industry, zinc oxide creams are
commonly used to help fight the onset and symptoms of incontinence
associated dermatitis (IAD). The direct, manual application
of such products to potentially sensitive areas can cause patient
discomfort and embarrassment, and comes with the increased risk
of product cross-contamination.
In an effort to simplify the treatment
process and enhance the overall caregiver/
patient experience, Dr. Smith’s established
an in-field usage study of an innovative zinc
oxide bag-on-valve (BOV) spray system that
allows the caregiver to administer a protective
skin barrier coating via a touch-free spray-on
application process. The goal of the study was
to evaluate a new product form designed to
reduce patient contact, eliminate the mechanical
friction of standard applications and help
preserve the dignity of the patient.
The usage study was conducted at a longterm
care facility and a protocol was established
to collect responses, analyze and report
findings of qualitative and quantitative results
with the use of the product. The current
protocol for IAD prevention was replaced with
the use of Dr. Smith’s Adult Barrier Spray for
a period of 30 days, during which data was collected on the number
of brief changes and uses of the spray, the incidence of severity
of IAD, the incidence of urinary tract infections (UTI) and the
number of uses per can (see chart on page 24).
At the conclusion of the study, encompassing more than
10,000 treatments, the results were found to be nothing short of
remarkable. With significant increases in patient and caregiver
satisfaction and overall reduction in the onset and duration of
IAD, 82% of caregivers felt that the test product improved their
facility’s quality of patient care. As a further testament, 80%
said they preferred the test barrier treatment to the previously
used product and 88% said they would recommend it. Since the
completion of the study, it has also been noted that occurrences
of UTIs have decreased appreciably. This is truly a great example
of how a pressurized package format has helped to transform a
22 Spray December 2017
M. Scott Carpenter
VP, Marketing & Partner Innovation,
Formulated Better living through aerosol convenience and compliance Solutions, LLC
This paper was originally presented at the NY Aerosol & Dispensing Forum
and the Western Aerosol Information Bureau (WAIB) Conference 2017