Eight out of ten expired drugs are still effective

It is generally advised not to keep them once the expiration date on the box has passed. But are expired medications still effective? Or are they dangerous to your health?

90% effective, even when expired

UFC-Que Choisir wanted to get to the bottom of it, and the results of their study convinced them so much of the waste represented by all these discarded medications that they decided to take action on the subject. Indeed, the results of this study show that eight out of ten expired medications actually retain 90% of their effectiveness.

Which suggests that getting rid of these expired medications is actually “a real environmental, economic and health waste”. Indeed, according to the association, “a faster renewal of medications which has a cost for the hospital system, health insurance and patients.” In total, for its study, the results of which have just been published, UFC-Que Choisir had 20 tablets, capsules or sachets of paracetamol and ten of ibuprofen analyzed. The expiry date of all these medications had passed.

According to an exclusive test, 80% of “expired” medicines based on paracetamol or ibuprofen remain effective up to 30 years after their expiration date.@UFCquechoisir denounces a real economic, environmental and health waste and seizes the@ansm … pic.twitter.com/5Ii9KbP5pr

— UFC-Que Choisir (@UFCquechoisir) September 19, 2024

A source of smart savings

According to the tests carried out, “only three samples from each group contained less than 90% of the stated amount of active ingredient.” Thus, six years after its expiry date, a Dafalgan tablet exposed to the worst conditions still contained 95% paracetamol. Even crazier, Efferalgan (paracetamol) tablets expired for almost 32 years still contained 100% of the active substance.

Or, en Europe, “For most specialties, the active ingredient content must be between 95% and 105% throughout the entire shelf life, at least in Europe.” Conversely, across the Atlantic, the threshold is generally 90%. But what’s the point of throwing away drugs that are still effective? In these times of seeking economy, “This excessively rapid renewal of medication has a cost for the hospital system, health insurance and patients”, judges the association.

Read also
What to do with expired or unused medications?

Subscribe to consoGlobe on Google News to not miss any information!