What does the expiration date of a compounded product refer to?

The expiration date of a compounded product specifically indicates the date after which the product is no longer deemed safe for use. This date is established based on stability studies that evaluate how long the active ingredients retain their potency and how safe the product remains for administration. As time passes beyond this date, there may be a decline in the effectiveness of the active ingredients, or there could be a potential for the development of harmful degradation products.

In sterile compounding, adhering to expiration dates is critical for patient safety. Compounded products are made with specific ingredients and often lack the extensive stability data available for commercially manufactured products. Therefore, practitioners must be particularly vigilant in ensuring that any compounded medication is used before its expiration date to mitigate any risk to patients.

While other options may hint at the importance of product quality or usability, none of them encapsulate the essential safety aspect denoted by the expiration date as effectively as this choice does.