There's Help for Impossible Pill Packages

Flummoxed for years by pill packaging that causes flesh wounds and frustration, fed-up consumers are pressing companies for less painful ways to open their medicines.

The changes come as the industry that grew up around making packages and medication bottles ultra-child-resistant faces criticism for making them too impenetrable -- not just for the elderly, arthritis sufferers and the disabled, but for everyone.

"They are a pain in the (expletive)," said Charles Kendall, 45, inventor of the Popper, a handheld gizmo that slickly removes meds from pill packs with a pump of the hand.

"I've heard stories of people using a kitchen knife to gouge these medications open -- that's waiting for a trip to the ER," he said.

Kendall and a partner created the Popper after watching elderly relatives put themselves in danger trying to slice open the so-called blister pill packs -- the primary type of packaging now used for over-the-counter medications.

"People try to push it through the backing paper," he said. "Sometimes you can do it, but you can end up crushing the pill."

Pill packaging is regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an independent federal agency charged with ensuring pill packaging is child-resistant and senior-friendly. Standards are guided by the federal Poison Prevention Packaging Act.

But by solving one concern -- medication safety -- the rules have created another problem: packaging that is borderline impregnable.

"It's one of people's hot buttons or pet peeves that they can't open the package," said Scott Walters, group vice president of corporate relations at the Arthritis Foundation. "Some are very, very difficult to manage and open."

MeadWestVaco Healthcare Inc., which has offices in Connecticut, is trumpeting the Shellpak, which passes federal safety standards but won't cramp or crimp your hand.

"We listen to consumers and some of their problems and struggles," said Julia Amadio, vice president of global marketing for MeadWestVaco. "I think it's part of a trend of providing alternatives that are simpler and easier for the consumer to use." The company ships up to eight million Shellpaks a month, including millions used by Wal-Mart for its $4 prescriptions for generic medications.

So far, the easy-to-open movement has been slow to catch on. Only a handful of products have passed the Arthritis Foundation's ease-of-use test. Companies selling the roughly 80 products that have passed the test can use that coveted endorsement to market their wares.

"It's one of those considerations on a lot of people's minds," said Walters. "The need is great out there."