The France-based firm claims that in Europe, silica gel is mainly fixed in the cap to absorb humidity entering the container, while in the US desiccant is dropped into the bottle as a loose part.
Rexam manufactures caps and fills them with desiccant (0.6g to 3.4g) on-site using the same assembly machine for both processes in a humidity-controlled environment. This allows for a shorter supply chain cycle and gives better process control, which complies with good manufacturing practice (GMP), according to the company.
In addition, the caps are assembled with Rexam's pill jar to offer a complete solution for packaging solid forms. The company says this allows it to offer "competitive pricing".
"The new process allows Rexam to be more competitive on costs and customers benefit from this," Laurence Quesdeville, Rexam's marketing specialist, told In-PharmaTechnologist.com.
"In addition, through a better control of the supply chain, Rexam can shorten supply chain and react more quickly to customers' orders while increasing reliability to reach a better OTIF(On Time In Full). Last but not least, from a GMP point of view, Rexam has an improved control on batches, the process is completely under control and the traceability is easier to implement."
Both caps have tamper-evident features, while Secupharma also has 'push-and-turn' child-resistant feature with a tamper-evident ring. They are both made of pharmacopoeia-compliant materials (PP, HDPE, silicagel) and fit 32mm-neck pill jars from 20ml - 100ml.
Rexam performs tightness controls, under vacuum, at 600mbar over 90 seconds.