Hermes Pharma has introduced a new desiccant stopper. The patent-protected stopper features a two-step, easy-opening technique suitable for multi-dose tablet tube containers.

According to the company, stoppers often need a definitive yank or long strong pull, making them difficult to open for people with weak hands or wrists, including osteoporosis patients or elderly persons. Now, due to an improved finger mold grip, the stopper can be removed with a short rip of a safety ring (first step) and easy lift-off (second step) for easy opening. Unlike conventional stoppers, the first step requires less force for removing the safety ring. The second step can be done with the flick of a finger. In addition the company says the finger mold grip creates a pleasing touch sensation and has no sharp edges. The desiccant stopper fits neatly back onto the tube, protecting the remaining tablets.

A recent study conducted with 2,000 people in the U.S. and Germany found that pharmaceutical packaging must be easy to open—a characteristic important to a third of the people questioned, and a healthcare aspect that can lead to better therapy compliance. Hermes Pharma says the design innovation was a response to calls for more intuitive, easy-to-open stoppers for tube containers.

As these new stoppers are produced to the same specification and amount of desiccant as the existing stoppers, no additional stability data is required. The can be deployed without any regulatory drawbacks to improve the user-friendliness of their products. The new stoppers are also compatible with various tube sizes.

“Our new stoppers are an innovative way of improving and adding value to a product,” said Detlev Haack, director research and development, Hermes Pharma. “By making its primary packaging more intuitive and easy to open, healthcare companies can foster convenience and compliance for both patients and consumers.”