Prescription Drugs Often Remain Effective After Expiration Dates

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Sunday examined how medications often remain "safe, effective and stable" for years after expiration dates established by pharmaceutical companies and approved by FDA. Pharmaceutical companies establish expiration dates for medications based on the results of studies and guarantee that treatments will remain at least 90% effective until those dates. Most medications expire after one or two years. However, the FDA Shelf Life Extension Program, which has studied hundreds of medications for the military since 1985, found that treatments remain effective for an average of 5 1/2 years after expiration. The program also found that 88% of medications remain effective for at least one year after expiration and that some remain effective for as long as 14 years. Some patient advocates maintain that pharmaceutical companies establish earlier expiration dates to increase sales, and some pharmacy specialists have recommended that FDA or companies study medications over longer periods and possibly establish later dates. According to Alan Goldhammer, vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the expiration dates established by pharmaceutical companies ensure that medications remain effective regardless of the conditions in which they are stored (LaMendola, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 12/17).