Expired drugs in the remote environment

Browne, Emma; Peeters, Frank; Priston, Melanie; Marquis, Peter T.. 2019 Expired drugs in the remote environment. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 30 (1). 28-34. 10.1016/j.wem.2018.11.003

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Abstract/Summary

The British Antarctic Survey Medical Unit works in a very remote area of the world, with several Antarctic bases receiving only a single annual resupply of consumable goods. Pharmaceuticals supplied in this manner will often be approaching or past the end of their nominal shelf life before the following year's resupply. Drugs are transported from the UK via ship; the hold is not temperature controlled, and the ship crosses through the tropics (air temperature 25–30°C for approximately 3 wk). The drugs then must be transported from the ship to the base, often in temperatures substantially below freezing. This study assessed the stability of 5 expired drugs (atropine, nifedipine, flucloxacillin, naproxen, and bendroflumethiazide) returned from Antarctic bases.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1016/j.wem.2018.11.003
ISSN:	10806032
Additional Keywords:	out-of-date, temperature, pharmaceuticals, supply chain, ethics, expedition
NORA Subject Terms:	Medicine
Date made live:	12 Feb 2019 11:41 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/522232

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