Expired Drugs: What to Do?

medicmgr

Forum Ride Along
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We occasionally have drugs that expire and the new replacement drugs have not yet arrived from our supplier. There are two trains of thought within our company regarding what to do in this situation.

1. Remove them from the truck since you are not going to give them anyway.

2. Leave them on the truck to maintain appropriate stocking levels.

What do you think?
 

emtI

Forum Crew Member
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We would go get some from the local hospital to get us by until our stock came in. If our protocol book says we have it, and we don't have it when it's needed, we could be in big trouble.

We generally order all our supplies, but like I said, in a pinch, we can get it from the hospital if we have to.

There are some companies that will give a small percentage of exchange credits on drugs within 30 days of their expiration dates, we used to do that. We'd order new and when it came in we'd send the old back.
 

TTLWHKR

Forum Deputy Chief
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Would the state inspection service allow you to use it?

No.

Remove them... Keep them for training.
 

emtd29

Forum Lieutenant
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We used to be able to swap soon to expire drugs with the hospital, since they had a better chance of pushing them than we did. Nowadays, I'm not sure how it works, but still, all expired drugs are removed from the trucks and are disposed of properly
 

Wingnut

EMS Junkie
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Originally posted by TTLWHKR@Oct 15 2005, 03:18 PM


Remove them... Keep them for training.
That's what our service does.
 

TTLWHKR

Forum Deputy Chief
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Originally posted by Wingnut+Oct 16 2005, 10:09 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Wingnut @ Oct 16 2005, 10:09 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-TTLWHKR@Oct 15 2005, 03:18 PM


Remove them... Keep them for training.
That's what our service does. [/b][/quote]
Or scratch them off and sell it to your competitor under a false name, then report them to the Dept. of Health. :p
 

rescuecpt

Community Leader Emeritus
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If you have 8mg of unexpired epi and 2mg of expired epi, you are NOT meeting your stocking level of 10. Take them off. Beg, borrow, barter, whatever you have to do. And place your drug orders SOONER so that you don't have to worry about this. Most hospitals will trade with you though, in a pinch, and sometimes on a regular basis. Our drug suppliers will take back our expired doses and give us a credit for them.
 

TTLWHKR

Forum Deputy Chief
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Originally posted by rescuecpt@Oct 16 2005, 07:07 PM
If you have 8mg of unexpired epi and 2mg of expired epi, you are NOT meeting your stocking level of 10. Take them off. Beg, borrow, barter, whatever you have to do. And place your drug orders SOONER so that you don't have to worry about this. Most hospitals will trade with you though, in a pinch, and sometimes on a regular basis. Our drug suppliers will take back our expired doses and give us a credit for them.
8+2=10 :blink:
 

rescuecpt

Community Leader Emeritus
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Originally posted by TTLWHKR+Oct 16 2005, 09:53 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (TTLWHKR @ Oct 16 2005, 09:53 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-rescuecpt@Oct 16 2005, 07:07 PM
If you have 8mg of unexpired epi and 2mg of expired epi, you are NOT meeting your stocking level of 10. Take them off. Beg, borrow, barter, whatever you have to do. And place your drug orders SOONER so that you don't have to worry about this. Most hospitals will trade with you though, in a pinch, and sometimes on a regular basis. Our drug suppliers will take back our expired doses and give us a credit for them.
8+2=10 :blink: [/b][/quote]
Yes, 8 + 2 DOES = 10, but only if all 10 are unexpired. Stocking levels don't releate to the number of items there, but to the number of USABLE items there, and expired drugs don't qualify.
 

Jon

Administrator
Community Leader
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Several EMS drug sales places will take drugs back... I think it is withing 90 days of expiration..... they then give you credit for another order.

I've been told they are sold to users in 3rd world countries (like New Orleans or Biluxi) were they don't regulate.... I guess recently expired drugs are better than none at all.


Jon
 

TTLWHKR

Forum Deputy Chief
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Originally posted by MedicStudentJon@Oct 17 2005, 10:26 AM
Several EMS drug sales places will take drugs back... I think it is withing 90 days of expiration.....
So they can remove the expiration date, and reprint a good date in its place... :p
 
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