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Animal Care Committee   Drug Use / Medical Materials in Laboratory Research Animals

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Expired Medical Materials

The use of expired medical materials such as drugs, fluids, or sutures on animals is not considered to be acceptable veterinary practice and does not constitute adequate veterinary medical care as required by the regulations promulgated under the Animal Welfare Act  and PHS Policy.  All expired medical materials found in a licensed or registered facility are to be brought to the attention of the responsible official.  The facility must either dispose of all such materials or segregate them in an appropriately labeled, physically separate location from non-expired medical materials. 

For acute terminal procedures, APHIS does not oppose the use of expired medical materials if their use does not adversely affect the animal's well-being or compromise the validity of the scientific study.  Proper anesthesia, analgesia, and euthanasia are required for all such procedures.  Drugs administered to relieve pain or distress and emergency drugs must not be used beyond their expiration date.  Facilities allowing the use of expired medical materials in acute terminal procedures should have a policy covering the use of such materials and/or require investigators to describe in their animal activity proposals the intended use of expired materials.  The attending veterinarian and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee are responsible for ensuring that proposed animal activities avoid or minimize discomfort, distress, and pain to the animal.  These responsibilities cannot be met unless the veterinarian and the IACUC maintain control over the use of expired medical materials.

Pharmaceutical-Grade Compounds in Research

Investigators are expected to use pharmaceutical-grade medications whenever they are available, even in acute procedures.  Non-pharmaceutical-grade chemical compounds should only be used in regulated animals after specific review and approval by the IACUC for reasons such as scientific necessity or non-availability of an acceptable veterinary or human pharmaceutical-grade product.  Cost savings alone are not an adequate justification for using non-pharmaceutical-grade compounds in regulated animals.  The position is supported by the AWA and PHS Policy.