BIG PHARMA.....

 

It's true, and I believe it.

 An inspiring article - indispensable for everyone (not just doctors)

Prior to 1979, medicines did not have expiry dates printed on their packaging.

This practice began in the United States in 1979.

Dr. Mohan Sridhar (Florida, USA) shared the following thoughts.

Do medicines really expire?  Or are we being misled by pharmaceutical companies?

By Richard Altschuler
Imagine this:
The Tylenol (Paracetamol) bottle has "Do not use after June 1998" written on it.

Now, August 2002.

Should you continue taking it or get rid of it?

Will it harm you?

Or will it reduce its effectiveness slightly?

This question raises a bigger question -

When manufacturers print expiration dates, are they really protecting us?
Or is it just another clever marketing ploy to push us to buy more medicine unnecessarily?

Driven by curiosity to find out the truth, I began searching through medical databases and research.
Here's what I discovered 

 The truth about expiration dates

1. The expiration date - legally required in the United States since 1979 - simply means that the manufacturer guarantees complete safety and effectiveness until that date.

This does not mean that the drug becomes unsafe or useless afterwards.

2. Experts agree that most medicines remain safe and effective for a long time after their expiry date - even after several years.

3. Studies indicate that although drugs may lose some of their effectiveness over time, they rarely lose their effectiveness completely.

4. In many cases, medicines remain up to 90% effective even 10 years after their expiry date.

 Largest study - conducted by the US Army

According to the Wall Street Journal (March 29, 2000):
The US military had a stockpile of medicines worth more than $1 billion.

Under the regulations, these drugs should have been disposed of every two to three years - which is a huge waste.

Therefore, the military, in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, began a large-scale testing program to determine the true shelf life of these drugs.

They tested over 100 types of drugs -
They found that about 90% of them remained safe and effective for up to 15 years after the printed expiry date!

Francis Flaherty, the project manager, stated:

"The expiration date does not mean that the medicine becomes unstable or dangerous after that time."

"Manufacturers use expiration dates more for marketing purposes than for scientific purposes."

Joel Davis, a former official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, added: "With a few exceptions - such as nitroglycerin, insulin, and some liquid antibiotics - most drugs last surprisingly long."

 Aspirin condition

Bayer tested its own aspirin 4 years after it expired - and it was still 100% effective!

According to Dr. Jens Carstensen, a leading expert in drug stability:

"Even after 5 years, Bayer Aspirin was found to be in excellent condition."

 The Hidden Truth

After reading all of this, it becomes clear how the pharmaceutical industry earns billions of dollars annually -
Simply because people are throwing away "expired" medicines that are still perfectly usable.

 Share the truth

1. major multinational pharmaceutical companies collectively as a sector of industry.

   "big pharma remains the most profitable industry in America". 
2. As always, my many thanks to all.