California

enforce putting a one year expiration date on medications that are good for far longer. I have some standby short-term insulin that it takes me well over a year to go through the box because I am doing so well with my sugar numbers. The mfgr says 7-31-26 on the box that is always kept refrigerated (comes with 5 pens) but the government-required label says discard after 5/28/2025. It was filled in May of this year. And that is true of all my medications.

Check any medication that comes in its original container and compare the mfgr expiration with the 1 year "discard by" from the government. What a waste! Doesn't matter if it doesn't need refrigeration.

And don't tell me that it's because it might not be good because it was not kept at the right temperature. That's true of bread, too. It will get moldy faster at room temperature, more slowly in the fridge and really slowly when frozen.