Contains Nonbinding Recommendations
II. DISCUSSION
In 1970, the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) was enacted to protect children (under 5
years of age) from unintentional exposure to household substances including food, drugs, and
cosmetics.
6
Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), a drug that has
packaging or labeling that is in violation of a regulation issued pursuant to section 3 or 4 of the
PPPA is deemed to be misbranded.
7
FDA was responsible for enforcing the PPPA until 1973,
when jurisdiction was transferred to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
8
Because of FDA’s authority to regulate labeling for prescription and nonprescription drug
products, if firms choose to make statements in their labeling for such products about child-
resistant packaging, such statements must comply with FDA’s statutory and regulatory
requirements.
9
CPSC’s regulations list “special packaging standards”
10,11
(also referred to herein as child-
resistant packaging, or CRP) for a wide range of household products, including most oral
prescription drugs and many nonprescription drug products.
12
There are different ways to make
packaging child-resistant, with the most common forms being a child-resistant closure (e.g., a
“safety cap”) and certain unit-dose blister packaging (e.g., puncture-resistant and peel-push
blisters. It should be noted that “child-resistant” should not be equated with “child-proof,”
because CRP is not designed to completely eliminate the possibility of an accidental pediatric
ingestion. It can only impede access to harmful products and is recognized by public health
experts as only one component of preventing these events. Therefore, FDA advocates that all
drugs, irrespective of the type of packaging, be stored safely out of reach and sight of children to
further the overall public health efforts to address this safety issue.
FDA regulates certain aspects of drug products’ container closure systems related to safety and
efficacy as part of the drug application review and approval process.
13,14
During FDA’s review
of an NDA, ANDA, or BLA (and nonprescription drugs marketed under an application), data
related to container closure systems are evaluated, such as the type of closure employed, the
stability of the product in the container closure system, and whether the closure design is suitable
for the product. FDA’s review does not include evaluation of testing reports to determine
whether a product meets the applicable standards for special packaging set forth in the PPPA and
its implementing regulations.
6
Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 (PPPA), (Pub. L. 91-601, 84 Stat. 1670-74), enacted December 30,
1970.
7
See FD&C Act, § 502(p).
8
Consumer Product Safety Act, Public Law 92-573; 86 Stat. 1207, October 27, 1972, Sec. 30.
9
See, e.g., FD&C Act § 502(a), (c).
10
See definitions in section 2 (4) of the PPPA.
11
Special packaging and child-resistant packaging (CRP) are used interchangeably in this guidance.
12
See 16 CFR 1700 for substances requiring special packaging and the relevant packaging standards and testing
procedures.
13
FDA generally does not regulate retail pharmacy vials or other containers used by pharmacies to repackage drugs
to dispense to patients.
14
See FDA guidance for industry Container Closure Systems for Packaging Human Drugs and Biologics, May
1999. This guidance is available on the Internet at
https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/default.htm
under Guidances
(Drugs).