8-K

                             UNITED STATES
                  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                         Washington, DC 20549


                                FORM 8-K


                       CURRENT REPORT Pursuant
                    to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                    Securities Exchange Act of 1934


        Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): August 24, 2004


                     West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.
           (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)


                               Pennsylvania
              (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)



                  1-8036                                23-1210010
      (Commission File Number)              (IRS Employer Identification No.)



       101 Gordon Drive, PO Box 645,
                 Lionville, PA                       19341-0645
  (Address of Principal Executive Offices)            (Zip Code)



                                     610-594-2900
                (Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)


                                      N/A
          (Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)


     Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

   |_| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act
      (17 CFR 230.425)

   |_| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act
      (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

   |_| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the
       Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

   |_| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the
       Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
________________________________________________________________________________


Item 8.01 Other events.
          On August 24, 2004 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (the "Company")
          issued a press release announcing that its Board of Directors declared
          a quarterly cash dividend and approved a 2-for-1 stock split of its
          common stock.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.

     (c)  Exhibits

          Exhibit # Description

          99.1  West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. Press Release, dated
          August 24, 2004.


________________________________________________________________________________


                                       SIGNATURE

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to  be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.



                                  WEST PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICES, INC.
                                  -------------------------------------------


                                  /s/ William J. Federici
 Date:  August 24, 2004           -------------------------------------------
                                  William J. Federici
                                  Vice President and Chief Financial Officer





________________________________________________________________________________








                              Exhibit Index



99.1   West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. Press Release, dated August 24, 2004.

________________________________________________________________________________

EX-99

Exhibit 99.1

West Announces Quarterly Dividend and Two-for-One Stock Split

LIONVILLE, Pa., August 24, 2004 — West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST), the global market leader in closure systems and syringe components for use with injectable drugs, today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend and approved a 2-for-1 stock split of its common stock.

The quarterly cash dividend of $0.22 per share, pre-split, is an increase from $0.21 per share in the same quarter last year. The dividend will be paid after the stock split, resulting in $0.11 per post-split share payable on November 3, 2004 to shareholders of record on October 20, 2004.

The stock split will be in the form of a 100 percent stock dividend that will be distributed on September 29, 2004 to shareholders of record on September 15, 2004. As of June 30, 2004, there were approximately 15.25 million outstanding West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. shares, which would increase to 30.5 million.

“Declaring a dividend demonstrates the Board’s confidence in West’s long-term opportunities and financial strength. This is our twelfth consecutive annual increase in the dividend. We are especially pleased to be able to return profits to our shareholders, while continuing to grow,” said West’s Chief Financial Officer William Federici. “With the stock split we hope to make our stock more accessible to a broader range of investors.”

The additional shares will be mailed or delivered on or about September 29, 2004 by the Company’s transfer agent, American Stock Transfer and Trust Company.

About West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

West is the world’s premier provider of standard-setting systems and device components for parenterally administered medicines and an emerging leader in the development of drug formulation and delivery system technologies for the nasal and targeted oral delivery of drugs. Internationally headquartered in Lionville, Pennsylvania, West supports its partners and customers from 50 locations throughout North America, South America, Europe, Mexico, Japan, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit West at www.westpharma.com