Child-Resistant Pharmaceutical Packaging: Paperboard-Based Solutions That Improve Safety, Usability & Sustainability

Child-resistant (CR) pharmaceutical packaging must perform consistently on multiple levels to ensure safe and compliant medication access. For consumers, CR packaging must prevent accidental access by children while remaining practical and intuitive for adults—including seniors and patients with limited dexterity. For pharmaceutical manufacturers, packaging must run efficiently at scale, maintain regulatory compliance, and support profitability without disrupting existing packaging lines.

As dosage forms, regulatory expectations, and patient use behaviors continue to evolve, these demands place increasing pressure on packaging systems to deliver safety, usability, sustainability, and manufacturability simultaneously.

For more than 30 years, Keystone Folding Box Co. has worked at the intersection of those requirements, engineering paperboard-based child-resistant and senior-friendly (CR/SF) packaging systems that combine patient protection, user accessibility, and high-speed line compatibility within a single structure. Keystone continues to refine commercially proven formats—including Ecoslide-RX®, Ecoslide-OTC™, Key-Pak® and Push-Pak™—designed to meet global CR standards while performing consistently in automated production environments.

Engineered to Meet Global Safety & Compliance Requirements

Keystone’s child-resistant packaging solutions are developed to align with worldwide regulatory expectations, including:

• U.S. FDA
• Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) – 16 CFR §1700.20 protocol
• European Medicines Agency (EMA)
• Health Canada

Locking and resistance features are integrated into the paperboard structure itself, enabling the mechanism to perform reliably throughout forming, filling, sealing, and patient handling. Formats such as Ecoslide-RX, Ecoslide-OTC, Key-Pak, and Push-Pak maintain required F=1 resistance levels without the added complexity of external components such as plastic shells, tear-bands, or secondary closures.

This structural approach simplifies compliance and supports consistent results from prototype development through full commercial production.

Designed for Adults Who Need Predictable, Reliable Daily Access

CR packaging must prevent accidental pediatric access while enabling smooth, intuitive use for adults. Keystone engineering focuses on mechanisms that rely on clear motion sequences, rather than high physical strength. Motion-guided opening and repeatable closing actions allow users—including those with arthritis, limited grip strength, or motor limitations—to access medication with confidence.

Features such as:

• Controlled slide paths
• Push-through access
• Reclosable / resettable locking points

help support adherence and reduce the likelihood that patients transfer medication into unregulated, unsecured containers.

Built for High-Speed Manufacturing & Line Efficiency

Pharmaceutical production environments demand packaging that performs predictably at commercial scale. Keystone designs its CR formats with automated line performance in mind, considering how each component forms, seals, fills, and moves through equipment.

Engineering priorities include:

• Reliable forming at speed
• Stable filling and sealing consistency
• Minimal line adjustments during setup and scaling
• No secondary sealing steps or additional machinery required

By integrating CR features into the paperboard structure, Keystone supports smooth, uninterrupted throughput and reduced operational complexity.

Sustainability Without Compromising Protection

Many pharmaceutical and OTC brands are prioritizing packaging sustainability and material reduction. Keystone’s paperboard-based CR systems support these goals by reducing the use of non-renewable materials and minimizing disposable plastic.

Paperboard CR formats can use 50% to 75% less plastic than traditional bottle-and-closure or plastic-wallet formats, providing:

• Improved recyclability with single-material construction
• Lower material mass and waste volume
• Better alignment with renewable and biodegradable substrate strategies

This allows brands to pursue aggressive sustainability commitments while maintaining compliance and usability standards expected of regulated pharmaceutical packaging.

Explore Child-Resistant Packaging Options for Your Next Program

If you are evaluating CR packaging formats, preparing a commercial launch, or exploring more sustainable CR structures, Keystone can support design engineering, line integration, material optimization, prototyping, and testing guidance.

Schedule an engineering review or request samples

Connect with our team to explore child-resistant packaging solutions that protect patients, enhance usability, and run reliably at commercial scale.