Pharmacy professor and researcher helps set the record straight
When a headache calls and the only ibuprofen in the house is a bottle that is expired, is it worth a trip out to replace it?
Peter J. Rice, PharmD, PhD, BCPS, professor of clinical pharmacy at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said that in most cases with past-its-prime medicine you can save a trip.
Rice also understands the immediate confusion the public has with expiration dates - especially with expensive prescription items like epinephrine injections for allergies. FDA extended the package dating when epinephrine syringes were in short supply. "The public hears this and it's like, 'Well, wait a minute. Was this really the expiration date or not,'" said Rice. "'Why are they making me buy a $500 syringe that I may not use for this expiration date that's sort of imaginary?'"
Rice explained that there is some hedging when regulators and drug manufacturers determine expiration dates. "Ultimately, you want to have a medication supply that there's no question as to whether it is safe or not," he said. "So, you pick an expiration date that's very conservative."
In the following Q&A, Rice details the science behind medicine expiration dates, the importance of being cautious around expired prescriptions and their dosages and the importance of drug storage to the entire conversation.
