Tablet Capping: Causes, Risks, and How Generic Drug Manufacturing Keeps Pills Intact

When a tablet caps—meaning the top or bottom layer splits off—it’s not just a cosmetic issue. It’s a sign something went wrong during manufacturing, and that can affect how your medicine works. Tablet capping, a physical defect in compressed pharmaceutical tablets where the upper or lower portion separates from the main body. Also known as laminating, it’s one of the most common tablet failures in both brand and generic drug production. This isn’t rare. It happens in factories worldwide, especially when speed is prioritized over precision. And if you’re taking a generic drug, you’re more likely to encounter it—because cost-cutting often means skipping the extra steps that prevent capping.

Tablet manufacturing, the process of compressing powdered ingredients into solid dosage forms like pills is more complex than it looks. It’s not just packing powder into a mold. The powder blend must have the right moisture level, particle size, and flow properties. If the granules are too dry, they won’t stick. Too much moisture? They stick to the machine. Pharmaceutical quality control, the system of checks and tests used to ensure drugs meet safety and efficacy standards exists to catch these issues before they reach you. But not all manufacturers follow the same rules. FDA inspections show that some facilities, especially overseas, lack proper environmental controls or staff training. That’s why tablet capping shows up more often in drugs made in regions with weaker oversight.

Generic drug production, the manufacturing of non-brand medications that contain the same active ingredient as name-brand drugs is a high-volume, low-margin business. To stay profitable, some companies cut corners. They use cheaper excipients, reduce compression force, or skip stability testing. The result? Tablets that crack in the bottle, crumble in your hand, or don’t dissolve properly in your stomach. That’s not just inconvenient—it’s dangerous. A capped tablet might deliver too little or too much drug, leading to treatment failure or overdose.

It’s not all bad news. Many generic manufacturers produce flawless tablets. The difference? They invest in equipment calibration, staff training, and real-time monitoring. The FDA’s recent reports show that facilities with robust quality systems—often in India—have far fewer capping incidents than others. But without knowing where your pills came from, you can’t be sure.

What can you do? Check your pills. If the top layer peels off easily, or if you notice inconsistent color or texture, don’t take them. Report it. Contact your pharmacist or file a report with the FDA’s MedWatch system. And remember: a cheap price doesn’t mean better value if the pill falls apart before it even reaches you.

Below, you’ll find real-world examples of how tablet defects connect to broader issues in drug safety—from manufacturing risks in China and India, to how regulatory gaps affect what ends up in your medicine cabinet. These aren’t theoretical problems. They’re happening now, and they’re affecting real people.