Novartis introduces Canada's Buckley's cough medicine to U.S. market

PARSIPPANY, N.J. Novartis is bringing Buckley’s, Canada’s No. 1 cough product—according to Information Resources, Inc. data for the 52 weeks ended Aug. 4—to the U.S. market. The brand will be introduced with two SKUs: a cough suppressant mixture and a chest congestion mixture that includes an expectorant.

Buckley’s point of differentiation is its bad taste with the slogan “It tastes awful. And it works.” The cough syrup is both sugar- and alcohol-free and includes camphor, Canadian fir balsam gum, pine needle oil and menthol.

To help generate interest in its U.S. debut, Novartis is sponsoring an online photo contest that invites people to post images of themselves tasting Buckley’s. The contest kicks off Nov. 5 and runs for one month. Entrants will have a chance to win an Alaskan Adventure vacation for two.

“There are two kinds of people in this world—those who what comfort when they are sick and those who want to get better,” stated Jose Rodriguez, Novartis Consumer Health vice president of marketing. “Buckley’s is for people who are focused on getting back to feeling like themsevels again quickly.”

According to Novartis, 65 percent of U.S. households purchased a cough remedy in the last year.