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An RFID chip embedded in a polymer vial cap eliminates concerns regarding aluminum use.

A polymer vial cap employing RFID technology has captured the attention of the biotechnology industry. Working closely with Tyco Electronics (Menlo Park, CA), Secure Packaging Systems Inc. (SPS; Cupertino, CA) has developed the Intelligent Polymer RFID pharmaceutical vial cap. Made from a blend of HDPE or nylon, the snap-on cap can be applied to vials inside Class 100 filling environments, right after stoppering, with existing tooling. No crimping is necessary, and aluminum can be eliminated altogether. “We wanted to integrate security technology directly into the packaging without increasing costs,” explains Bertrand Teplitxky, founder and CEO of SPS. “We have engineered the cap to provide a consistently strong and reliable seal, aiming for better than that of a traditional cap.” It may also be adapted to fit syringes.

The cap’s design features a permanent peripheral cap with a tabbed-and-scored center section that users twist off to open. Removing this tear-off section separates the antenna from the embedded RFID chip, rendering the tag in-operative and unreadable. This feature can alert users to potential tampering, says Teplitxky. 

SPS uses a high-capacity RFID chip that can store up to 64,000 characters of information distributed in four encryption-protected zones.

However, the cap can employ any RFID chip, allowing customers to decide on the RFID technology or chip manufacturer of their choice. Given the elimination of aluminum, reading is enhanced, says Teplitxky. He also calls the top-of-the-cap tag placement the “inherently logical position.”

The polymer blend protects the chip through repeated autoclave cycles and extremes of temperature, humidity, vibration, or shock. The material also enables the cap to act like a spring, maintaining consistent tension on the vial regardless of temperature and humidity conditions.

The cap enables unit-sized product to be tracked from processing stages to final packaging.

The Intelligent Polymer RFID Pharmaceutical Vial Cap is the first in a series of products currently under development by SPS. The cap is currently available in three levels of security protection for industry-standard 20-mm vials. A 13-mm cap designed for complete removal will be available in full-scale production volumes this year.

SPS is also developing a digital optical element that can be incorporated into packaging and labeling through molding or embossing. This binary diffractive element can include any or all of the following featuers: digital hologram, temperature sensor, product-integrity sensor, or an authentication tool that can store up to 1 Mbyte of information per square millimeter.