AboutNigel Simmons Expertise I am happy to answer general questions on medicines and hospital care. If possible, please use approved / chemical names rather than brands which are not internationally recognised.
Like all health professionals I am bound by a duty of care which prevents me giving detailed information about medication or treatment of people other than the questioner.
I will endeavour to help wherever possible or point towards more appropriate advice. If however your question crosses too far into patient confidentiality, I hope you will understand why I cannot answer your question.
Consider.. would you want me to discuss your care with a friend or relative without your knowledge?
Experience Registered as a UK pharmacist in 1982 and have worked in a number of hospital and health management posts around the UK. Formerly Chief Pharmacist for a 440 bed general hospital in Cambridgeshire.
Past/Present clients Previously Sysop on CompuServe UK Professionals forum.
Expert: Nigel Simmons Date: 2/8/2008 Subject: expiry dates on medicines
Question If the expiry date on medicines has just the month and year does that mean the expiry date is the last day of the previous month or the last day of the month shown on the container??
Answer Keith
You may not realise, but you have asked one of the most challenging questions known to a pharmacist! Whether it is deliberate (a ploy to sell more product) or poor design, but there are few firm rules as to the differences between:
Expiry Date
Expires
Use Before
Use By
Do not use after
etc.
The problem is compounded by the fact that most expiry dates are limited to month and year. Two extra date digits would make things a lot easier.
It is generally accepted that all terms refer to the last day of the stated month and year, though Use before is still ambiguous Use before the start of, or end of? Unfortunately the FDA, UK MHRA and their European equivalent have not been peruaded to make a policy ruling to set a standard for dates.
Fortunately, given proper storage conditions, most medicines will always have a margin for safety built in, so it should be OK to use a product up to the end of the month. If a company were challenged in court, usinga defense that they meant the end of the previous month, I would expect them to lose because they had not made that explicitly clear.
If a product has a particularly short shelf life, or becomes unstable after a period of time in use, then I would expect the expiry date to be more explicit.
