Vial Sealing and Primary Packaging Glossary

This glossary defines the key terms used in pharmaceutical vial sealing and primary packaging. Each entry is a short, self-contained explainer of what the term means, how the component works, and where it is used, so you can move quickly between concepts as you read the standards and comparison guides.

Packaging concepts

• Primary packaging is any material in direct contact with the drug product, such as the vial, stopper, and seal, as distinct from secondary and tertiary packaging.
• Container closure system is the full set of components that together contain and protect the drug: the container plus the closure that seals it.

Seal and closure types

• Flip-off seal is an aluminium-plastic vial closure with a plastic flip-top button over a crimped aluminium shell.
• Aluminium-plastic seal is the combination-seal family, an aluminium shell with a moulded plastic top, that flip-off seals belong to.
• Tear-off seal is a full-tear-off aluminium seal whose entire top is removed to open the vial.
• Tear-down seal is an aluminium seal opened by tearing down a perforated section, commonly used for oral medicines.
• Pilfer-proof cap is a roll-on pilfer-proof (ROPP) aluminium cap with a tamper-evident pilfer band.

How Autofits fits in

Autofits manufactures the full range of these closures, FlipTop® aluminium-plastic seals (Optima, Pull Ring, Tear Down), tear-off and tear-down aluminium seals, and aluminium pilfer-proof caps, under an ISO 15378:2017 quality system with an ISO Class 8 cleanroom and high-speed visual inspection.

Explore the rest of the knowledge base: the packaging standards, the learn guides, and the seal comparisons. To see the closures themselves, browse the full product range.