Pittsburgh startup swaps plastic pill bottles for paper
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Photos: Courtesy of Parcel Health
A Pittsburgh startup has a new prescription for plastic waste: a mostly paper pill bottle.
Why it matters: Billions of plastic prescription bottles are discarded annually in the U.S., and Point Breeze-based Parcel Health aims to replace them with packaging that cuts plastic use without compromising medication safety.
Driving the news: Parcel Health's Tully Tube recently nabbed a spot on TIME's 2026 Best Inventions list.
- It has sold more than 1 million tubes since introducing the product in 2024, expanding its reach to roughly 71 locations across pharmacies, health systems and veterinary practices — with customers including AHN, UPMC, Penn Medicine, Wellstar and others in multiple states.
How it works: The Tully Tube uses 40% to 71% less plastic than conventional pill bottles, depending on size, says Parcel Health co-founder and CEO Melinda Su-En Lee.
- Its recyclable paper body blocks moisture and light, while a detachable plastic cap comes in child-resistant and easy-open versions to meet industry safety standards.
- The packaging works with most pharmacy automation systems and can sport custom branding.
Zoom in: Lee's mission to reduce plastic took shape as a University of Michigan pharmacy student. The steady stream of discarded prescription vials reminded her of the plastic-filled landfill near her childhood home in Malaysia.
- In 2020, she connected with Mallory Barrett, a North Carolina industrial designer who had recently won a sustainable packaging competition.
- That year, the two founded Parcel Health and moved the startup to Pittsburgh in 2021 through Innovation Works' AlphaLab Health accelerator, which connected them with investors and health care partners.
Flashback: Their first product, the square, plastic-free Phill Box, proved difficult to integrate into existing pharmacy systems and safety standards. The pair went back to the drawing board and, in 2024, launched the cylindrical Tully Tube with a plastic cap.
What they're saying: Lee said an early challenge was convincing pharmacies that paper packaging could protect medications as effectively as plastic.
- "Not only is (the Tully Tube) environmentally sustainable, but it's equally safe and performs equally to its plastic counterparts," she said.
What's next: Parcel Health is expanding beyond pill bottles. Earlier this year, it introduced compostable bags designed to replace to plastic resealable bags used to package and dispense medications and medical supplies.
- The company also plans to improve compatibility with automation and expand domestically and internationally.
- "Tully Tube is just the beginning for us," Lee says.