Hospitals and pharmacies are required to toss expired drugs, no matter how expensive or vital, and that could be costing patients millions of dollars. The FDA has long known that many drugs remain safe and potent for years past expiration dates. But regulations and the profit motive insure that most companies do not test their products' true staying power.
From ProPublica:
Read Full Article »In his lab, Gerona ran tests on the decades-old drugs, including some now defunct brands such as the diet pills Obocell (once pitched to doctors with a portly figurine called “Mr. Obocell”) and Bamadex. Overall, the bottles contained 14 different compounds, including antihistamines, pain relievers and stimulants. All the drugs tested were in their original sealed containers.
The findings surprised both researchers: A dozen of the 14 compounds were still as potent as they were when they were manufactured, some at almost 100 percent of their labeled concentrations.
