RX Guides: Select Medications with Shortened Expiration Dates

Managing In-Use Medication Expirations

To ensure product stability, sterility and efficacy, many therapeutic products have a shortened expiration date when opened, as specified by the manufacturer. The following list(s) includes medications commonly used in community care settings where labeling indicates a shortened expiration date is required once in use. This list is not all-inclusive, consult the product labeling or check in with pharmacy for clarification on additional product(s).

Key Protocols:

• Determine the Beyond Use Date (BUD): Directives for shortened expiration date labeling is often included in the ‘How Supplied / Storage & Handling’ section of the Package Insert (PI) for the product. This information can also be found regularly on product packaging (i..e. inhalers, eye drops). The Beyond Use Date (BUD) is either the manufacturer’s printed expiration date OR the shortened post opening date—whichever comes first.
• Affix BUD Label: If the medication requires a shortened expiration date, use an auxiliary sticker to indicate ‘DATE OPENED’ AND ‘EXPIRATION DATE’ using the shortened expiration date as guidance. If an auxiliary label is not available, mark a permanent part of the packaging.
• Routine Audits: All medication should be checked for valid expiration dating during medication pass. Administering an expired medication product is considered a preventable medication error. Regularly schedule unit medication storage and cart audits to screen inventory for proper expiration date labeling and remove expired drug products.

Respiratory
Generic Name	Brand Name	Beyond Use Date (BUD) Notes
Acetylcysteine	Mucomyst	Store unopened vials at room temperature; once opened, store under refrigeration and use within 96 hours. A color change may occur in opened vials (light purple) and does not affect the safety or efficacy.
Aclidinium	Tudorza	45 days after opening pouch, when device locks out, or when dose indicator displays 0.
Aclidinium/Formoterol	Duaklir Pressair	2 months after opening bag, when device locks out, or when dose indicator displays 0.
Arformoterol	Brovana solution	Prior to dispensing, store in protective foil pouch under refrigeration at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F). Protect from light and excessive heat. After dispensing, unopened foil pouches may be stored at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F) for up to 6 weeks. Only remove vial from foil pouch immediately before use.
Albuterol	ProAir RespiClick	13 months after opening foil pouch or when counter reads 0.
	Ventolin HFA	12 months after removal from foil pouch or when counter reads 0.
Albuterol/Budesonide	Airsupra	12 months after opening foil pouch or when dose indicator displays 0.
Albuterol/Ipratropium	Combivent Respimat	3 months after first actuation or when device locks out.
	Duoneb	Store in foil and away from heat and light. Unit-dose vials should remain stored in protective foil pouch at all times. Once removed from the foil pouch, the individual vials should be used within one week. Discard if the solution is not colorless.
Budesonide	Pulmicort Respules	When an envelope has been opened, the shelf life of the unused ampules is 2 weeks when protected. Return unused ampules to the aluminum foil envelope after opening, to protect them from light. Any opened ampule must be used promptly.
Budesonide/Formoterol	Symbicort	3 months after removal from foil pouch or when counter reads 0.
	Breyna	3 months after removal from foil pouch.
Fluticasone	Flovent Diskus	50mcg strength: 6 weeks after removal from protective foil pouch or when counter reads 0. 100mcg and 250mcg strength: 2 months after removal from foil pouch or when counter reads 0.
	Arnuity Ellipta	6 weeks after removal from foil pouch or when counter reads 0.
Fluticasone/Salmeterol	Advair Diskus	30 days after removal from protective foil pouch or when counter reads 0.
	AirDuo Respimat	30 days after removal from foil pouch or when the counter reads 0.
	Wixela Inhub	30 days after removal from foil pouch or when the counter reads 0.
Fluticasone/Vilanterol	Breo Ellipta	6 weeks after removal from foil tray pouch or when counter reads 0.
Fluticasone/Vilanterol/Umeclidinium	Trelegy Ellipta	6 weeks after removal from foil tray or when counter reads 0.
Formoterol	Foradil Aerolizer	Capsules should always be stored in the blister and only removed immediately before use, discard by the manufacturer’s expiration date on product.
	Perforomist Inhalation Solution	Prior to dispensing, store in refrigerator at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to46°F). After dispensing, store in refrigerator at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) or room temperature at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F) for up to 3 months. Protect from light and heat. Unit-dose vials should always be stored in the foil pouch and only removed immediately before use.
Glycopyrrolate/Formoterol	Bevespi Aerosphere	3 months after removal from foil pouch or when dose indicator reads 0.
Glycopyrrolate/Formoterol/Budesonide	Breztri Aerosphere	3 months (120-inhalation cannister) or 3 weeks (28-inhalation cannister) after removal from foil pouch or when counter reads 0.
Levalbuterol	Xopenex Solution	2 weeks from when foil pouch is opened. Vials removed from the pouch, if not used immediately, should be protected from light and used within 1 week.
Mometasone	Asmanex Twisthaler	45 days after removal from foil pouch or when the counter reads 0.
Olodaterol	Striverdi Respimat	3 months after cartridge is inserted into inhaler or when device locking mechanism is engaged.
Salmeterol	Serevent Diskus	6 weeks after removal from foil pouch or when counter reads 0.
Tiotropium	Spiriva Respimat	3 months after first use or when device locking mechanism is engaged.
	Spiriva Handihaler	Only remove from foil immediately before use, once removed, the capsule should be used immediately; if capsule is not used immediately it should be discarded.
Tiotropium/Olodaterol	Stiolto Respimat	3 months after cartridge is inserted into inhaler or when locking mechanism is engaged.
Umeclidinium	Incruse Ellipta	6 weeks after opening the foil tray or when the counter reads 0.
Umeclidinium/Vilanterol	Anoro Ellipta	6 weeks after opening the foil tray or when the counter reads 0.

Insulins
	Generic Name	Brand Name	Beyond Use Date (BUD) Notes After Accessing Insulin for First Use
Rapid Acting (RA)	I. glulisine	Apidra	vial – 28 days/pen – 28 days
	I. lispro-aabc	Lyumjev	vial – 28 days/pen – 28 days
	I. aspart	Novolog	vial – 28 days/pen – 28 days
	I. lispro	Fiasp	vial – 28 days/pen – 28 days
Short Acting (SA)	I. Regular	Novolin-R	vial – 42 days/pen – 28 days
		Humulin-R	vial – 31 days
Intermed. Acting	I. NPH	Novolin-N	vial – 42 days/pen – 28 days
		Humulin-N	vial – 31 days/pen – 14 days
Long Acting	I. glargine	Lantus	vial – 28 days/pen – 28 days
		Toujeo	pen – 56 days
		Semglee	vial – 28 days/pen – 28 days
		Basaglar	pen – 28 days
	I. degludec	Tresiba	vial – 56 days/pen – 56 days
70/30 RA MIX	I. aspart protamine susp / I. aspart	Novolog 70/30	vial – 28 days/pen – 14 days
70/30 SA MIX	I. NPH / I. Regular	Novolin 70/30	vial – 42 days/pen – 28 days
		Humulin 70/30	vial – 31 days/pen – 10 days
75/25 RA MIX	I. lispro protamine / I. lispro	Humalog 75/25	vial – 28 days/pen – 10 days
50/50 RA MIX	I. lispro protamine / I. lispro	Humalog 50/50	pen – 10 days
U-500 Strength	I. Regular	Humulin-R U-500	vial – 40 days/pen – 28 days

Please see the HealthDirect – RX Guides: Insulin / GLP-1 Expiration Guide (June 2026) for further detailed information, such as pre-use and in-use.

Miscellaneous
	Generic Name	Brand Name	Beyond Use Date (BUD) Notes After Accessing Insulin for First Use
Eye	Latanoprost	Xalatan	6 weeks (42 days) after opening or moving to room temp.
	Latanoprostene Bunod	Vyzulta	8 weeks (56 days) after opening or moving to room temp.
Nasal	Calcitonin Nasal Spray	Miacalcin Nasal Spray	30 doses OR 35 days at room temp (opened or unopened).
Solutions	Epoetin Alfa	Epogen (Multidose) Procrit (Multidose)	Store unused portions of Epogen/Procrit in multiple- dose vials at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C). Discard 21 days after initial entry.
	Furosemide Soln.	Lasix	Discard open bottle after 90 days.
	Lorazepam Soln.	Ativan Intensol	90 days after opening [REFRIGERATED].
Subcutaneous	Liraglutide	Victoza/Saxenda	30 days at controlled room temperature (15°C to 30°C) or in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C). Keep the pen cap on when not in use and protect from excessive heat and sunlight.
	Semaglutide	Ozempic	56 days after opening at controlled room temperature (15°C to 30°C) or in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C). Do not freeze, keep the pen cap on when not in use, and protect from excessive heat and sunlight.
		Wegovy	If needed, prior to cap removal, the single-use Wegovy pen can be kept from 8°C to 30°C up to 28 days.
Tests	Tuberculin Tests	Tubersol	30 days after opening [REFRIGERATED].
Bulk	Bulk PO Meds	I.e., Tylenol, Miralax, etc.	Store and discard per manufacturer instructions, unless more stringent Beyond Use Date is applied per adopted policy or local regulation.
Injectable MDV’s	Generally, all Injectable Multi-Dose Vials (unless individual products’ PIs state otherwise)		28 days after opening [REFRIGERATED].
DM Supplies	Glucose Control Solutions and Test Strips	I.e., Accu-Chek, FreeStyle, etc.	Most: 90 days after opening. CHECK BRAND and that particular manufacturer’s recommendation.

© 2026 HealthDirect Pharmacy Services MTK-1338  June 2026

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