India, Oct. 2 -- You have probably opened a medicine strip countless times without giving much thought to the shiny layer covering each tablet. You press a pill through the thin foil, tear open a strip and take the medicine, but have you ever wondered why tablets are sealed this way in the first place? Why aluminium, and why are some medicines packed differently from others? The packaging may seem like a small, everyday detail, but it is carefully designed for a reason. So, what exactly is that shiny foil doing around your medicine? Let's find out.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), pharmaceutical packaging needs to protect medicines from environmental factors such as moisture, light and reactive gases, including oxygen. T...