Are Drug #Expiration Dates a Myth?
▻https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/924683_2
The US military, which maintains large stockpiles of medications for both military and civilian populations for use during an emergency, became very interested in this issue following the 2001 anthrax scare. The cost implications were obvious. Throwing out large numbers of expensive drugs solely because they were past their expiration date was an expense that could potentially be avoided if it was determined that the drugs were effective beyond that date.
To provide this information, the FDA analyzed the potency of 122 common drugs representing a broad range of drug products and forms. The Shelf-Life Extension Program (SLEP), which is administered by the FDA for the US Department of Defense, checks the long-term stability of federal drug stockpiles. After vigorous testing of more than 3000 different lots of these drugs, almost 9 out of 10 lots were determined to have more than 90% potency at 1 year past the expiration date. The average extension of this degree of potency was 5 years.
Expiration Dating and Stability Testing for Human Drug Products | FDA
▻http://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/inspection-technical-guides/expiration-dating-and-stability-testing-human-drug-products