7 replies to this topic

[Goldfinger]

Hi Everyone-

Been a long time since I posted here. Hope everyone is doing OK.

Just wondering about the expiration date of Gleevec. It's always a year after the prescription is filled. Is that standard procedure with all prescription drugs or does Gleevec really lose it's potency after a year? Would rather not go into the reasons behind this question. Hope someone can answer it though....

GF

[Trey]

The drug makers assume the worst after the drugs are released to the patient.  They assume you keep it on your kitchen table for a year in the sunlight.  The TKI drugs are very stable in the pill form so it is unlikely there is much degradation unless you expose it to heat.  I personally not have an issue taking them myself past expiration.

http://www.health.ha...date1103a.shtml

[Goldfinger]

Thanks Trey!!!

GF

[Happycat]

GF,

Looking at the structure, there's nothing there that tells me this drug in likely to be unstable.  There's a shelf-life and re-test policy that manufacturer's of API's have to follow.  I think the 1 yr expiration date just falls out of that.  Pretty much CYA.  Most drugs on the market are pretty much rocks.  They don't change much.

As long as you've stored it properly, it should be fine.

Traci

[PhilB]

I have been pondering something similar for a while.  I have a long commute to work and so I carry a  single Gleevec pill with me just in case I get stranded in London and can't get home one evening.  As that hasn't happened, the same pill has been going back and forth for well over a year and I've been idly wondering should I:

a) Continue as I am keeping that same pill as a reserve;

Take the pill one evening and replace it with a different one; or

c) Throw it away as out-dated and replace it with a different one and then try to rotate them ore frequently in future?

I fully realise that one pill is neither here nor there in the greater scheme of things, but I'd be interested to know what others would do.  The pill in question is still in its blister pack which in turn is carried in a pill bottle and still looks in perfect condition.

(and no Trey, I'm not after any other suggestions on where I should stick my pill)

[Trey]

Phil,

I would just take it one day and put another into reserve, and change it out more often.  I guess you don't have an office where you could leave it instead of carrying it.

[Marnie]

This is a great question, and I've been wondering myself.  I have some Gleevec left over since I switched to Sprycel.  I've been keeping it in the fridge (hope that's appropriate) and will stash it in the camper while we travel this summer as a backup, just in case.  At some point it would be good to donate it to someone who might be in need. . .but for now, I'm hanging on to it because I like to carry an extra supply of meds wherever I go.

Marnie

[Marnie]

I carry 3 pills in my purse at all times (I do late evenings at school fairly often, and like to be sure that I don't miss the 7:00 p.m. bell).  I swap them out occassionally just to be sure that the ones in my purse don't get too old.