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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Particularly true if they have not been stored properly such as being exposed to extreme heat or light. All medications contain active and inactive ingredients, and with time, or adverse storage conditions, these can become unstable, and convert to other substances that may pose a risk to your health. Ibuprofen contains an impurity called ibuprofen-related compound C (IRC-C). Testing of ibuprofen samples stored over 550 days at the International Space Station (ISS) that were within 3 months of their expiry date revealed 99.9% active ingredient and less than 0.001% IRC-C, well below the USP limit of 0.25% for this impurity. These results were consistent with another study that showed ibuprofen that had spent 2.5 years on the ISS passed API analysis for levels of IRC-C.There is also a risk to some medicines from contamination due to the container they are stored in, especially if the container is made of plastic. Plastic is broken down by UV radiation through a process called photodegradation, and by oxidation and friction. Small bits of plastic lining the inside of your container can contaminate old ibuprofen tablets.Related questionsCan you take Ibuprofen if you have COVID-19 (coronavirus)?Naproxen vs ibuprofen: What's the difference?Can you take ibuprofen on an empty stomach?Can expiry dates be extended?It is possible to extend the expiry date on some products with further testing. The U.S. government operates the Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP) (established in 1986) and manufacturers can apply for an extension to their expiry date based on acceptable data from stability studies that are completed by following an approved NDA protocol.The Government regularly extends expiry dates for medications that have been stockpiled in the interests of military and civilian health. This avoids the need to replace entire stockpiles every few years at significant expense if testing reveals product stability beyond their labeled shelf life.Unfortunately, Federal and state laws prohibit pharmacists from dispensing expired drugs, which means millions of dollars worth of medicines are thrown away each year. Occasionally, the FDA may extend the expiry date of medications that are in short supply, but this is quite rare. There is a big movement to acknowledge the shortcomings of expiry dates and to develop a more robust system that would decrease medication wastage and cost. ReferencesExpiration Dating Extension. US Food and Drug Administration. 20/10/2023. https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/expiration-dating-extension#manufacturerIbuprofen (Monograph). https://www.drugs.com/monograph/ibuprofen.htmlWotring V. E. (2016). Chemical Potency and Degradation Products of Medications Stored Over 550 Earth Days at
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