Policy on the Use of Expired Drugs and Medical Materials

At the University of Michigan, expired anesthetic, analgesic and euthanasia drugs cannot be administered to or used in animals for any experimental or veterinary procedure once they are past the expiration date. Other expired medical materials (e.g., suture, fluids, etc.) can be used for non-survival procedures, if their usage does not adversely affect the animal’s well-being or compromise the validity of the scientific study. These must be properly labeled as “Expired” and should be labeled for their specific usage (e.g., “acute use only”).

Expired drugs and medical materials must be clearly separated from non-expired materials. Departments and research laboratories with expired medical materials, other than those used for specifically labeled for non-survival or acute procedures, and expired drugs must dispose of them properly and promptly.

Non-compliance with this policy may result in sanctions from the IACUC up to, and including, suspension of animal research.