Crystal Foretia
Sep 19, 2017

Reliability of Drug Expiration Dates

1 comment

ProPublica states that this should not be a big deal. Contributor Marsha Allen wrote "Hospitals and pharmacies are required to toss expired drugs, no matter how expensive or vital. Meanwhile the FDA has long known that many remain safe and potent for years longer." They attribute the expense of the U.S. healthcare system partly due to waste. This became especially relevant when a UCLA pharmacy got into trouble after continuing to use expired drugs. What are your thoughts?

Sources:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ucla-pharmacy-20170915-story.html

https://www.propublica.org/article/the-myth-of-drug-expiration-dates

Rachna Shah
Sep 19, 2017

At first glance, using expired drugs does seem to be a major violation of patient health in my opinion. However, Cantrell's study is quite intriguing - how 12/14 of the drugs were still potent - as well as the US's use of stockpiled drugs. If a drug continues to be effective and potent, it should not be wasted. How can this be tested and how can expiration dates on FDA-approved drugs be improved?

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