Drug Management
The proper administration and use of drugs, agents, and other substances is critical for safeguarding animal welfare and conducting sound scientific research. The University of Michigan (U-M) Animal Care & Use Program provides a multitude of resources to assist laboratories with the responsible management and maintenance of these materials.
Links marked with a lock icon can only be accessed using valid U-M login credentials.
Federal regulations and nationally accepted standards in laboratory animal medicine both require the use of pharmaceutical-grade drugs, chemicals, biologics, and other substances whenever possible.
Any use of non pharmaceutical-grade substances, defined as those substances NOT approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA)or without a chemical purity standard established by a recognized pharmacopeia, in animal-based research requires prior approval by the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC).
For more information, review the Policy on the Use of Non Pharmaceutical-Grade Drugs.
Use of Expired Drugs
The administration and/or use of expired drugs can adversely affect animals; therefore, NO expired fluids, vehicles, biologics, or drugs – including all anesthetics, analgesics, euthanasia agents, pharmaceuticals, therapeutics, and non-pharmaceutical grade drugs – can be administered to, or used in, animals for ANY experimental or veterinary procedure, including euthanasia or any procedure in which the animal is euthanized prior to recovery.
Review the Policy on the Use, Storage, and Expiration of Substances, Agents, and Medical Materials Used in Animals or contact the Animal Care & Use Office (ACUO) at [email protected] for more information.
In order to ensure the health and safety of all animals, and to avoid any possible non-compliance notifications, the ACUO strongly recommends that each laboratory establish its own method for reviewing and disposing of any expired drugs/agents on a regular basis.
Suggestions and best practices on developing a system to monitor for expired materials are outlined in the Quick Reference Sheet: Monitoring Expired Drugs & Medical Materials.
Questions about proper drug disposal should be directed to the U-M Department of Environment, Health & Safety at (734) 763-4568.
Beyond Use Dates
Many pharmaceutical products have both a standard “Expiration Date” and a “Use-By-Date” (i.e., “Beyond Use Date”), which are often described in the package insert or on the vial. Some products may be formulated by multiple manufacturers with varying or no Use-By-Dates at all.
Regulatory oversight bodies require strict adherence to a product’s Use-By-Date, if provided. Accordingly, no drug can be used in an animal beyond its Use-By-Date.
Dates are generally written in one of two formats:
- “Discard any remaining volume X number of days after initial puncture,” or
- “Discard any remaining volume after X number of punctures.”
When receiving drugs or other substances, please review all provided information carefully and label materials appropriately. Where possible, consider creating specific Use-By-Date or Puncture Number Labels for your laboratory.
Detailed labeling and storage instructions can be found in the Policy on the Use, Storage, and Expiration of Substances, Agents, and Medical Materials Used in Animals and the Guidelines for the Storage of Sterile Items.
To assist Study Teams with product management, the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) has compiled a list of Use-By-Dates for several of the most frequently used anesthetic and analgesic drugs in animal research.
If you do not see a specific drug on the list below, do NOT assume that it has no Use-By-Date. Please refer to the manufacturer’s instructions and package inserts for all current product information.
Table: Beyond Use Dates for Frequently Used Anesthetic and Analgesic Drugs
Products highlighted in yellow currently have a Beyond Use Date. Products NOT highlighted may be available without a Beyond Use Date.
Drug Name
Trade Name and (NDC or NADA #)
Concentration
Form
Size Container
Beyond Use Date
Manufacturer
atipamezole hydrochloride
Antisedan (54771-6293-01)
5mg/ml
inj.
10ml
90 days
Zoetis
atipamezole hydrochloride
Revertidine
5mg/ml
inj.
10ml
28 days
Modern Veterinary Therapeutics
buprenorphine hydrochloride
Ethiqa XR
1.3 mg/ml
inj.
3ml
90 days
Fidelis Pharmaceuticals
butorphanol tartrate
Torbugesic (54771-2033-01)
10mg/ml
inj.
10ml
120 days (4 months)
Zoetis
carprofen
Ostifen (13985-0748-20)
50mg/ml
inj.
20ml
56 days
Vet One
carprofen
Rimadyl
50mg/ml
inj.
20ml
28 days
Zoetis
dexmedetomidine hydrochloride
Dexdomitor
0.1mg/ml
inj.
15ml
90 days
Zoetis
dexmedetomidine hydrochloride
Dexdomitor (54771-2805-01)
0.5mg/ml
inj.
10ml
90 days
Zoetis
dexmedetomidine hydrochloride
Dexdomitor
0.5mg/ml
inj.
10ml
90 days
Dechra
enrofloxacin
Enroflox 100
100 mg/ml
inj.
100ml
30 days or 36 punctures
Norbrook
enrofloxacin
Enrosite
22.7mg/ml
inj.
20ml
90 days
Vet One
ketamine
Ketaset (54771-2013-01)
100mg/ml
inj.
10ml
120 days (4 months)
Zoetis
ketamine
Zetamine (13985-0584-10)★
100mg/ml
inj.
10ml
N/A
Vet One
ketoprofen
Ketofen
100mg/ml
inj.
100ml
120 days (4 months)
Zoetis
meloxicam
Ostilox
5mg/ml
inj.
20ml
180 days or 51 punctures
VetOne
pentobarbital sodium & phenytoin sodium
Euthanasia Solution (86136-007-90)
390mg/ml
inj.
100ml
60 days
Vet One
pentobarbital sodium & phenytoin sodium
(13985-045-10)★
390mg/ml
inj.
100ml
N/A
Vet One
pentobarbital sodium & phenytoin sodium
Euthasol (51311-0050-01)★
390mg/ml
inj.
100ml
N/A
Virbac AH, Inc.
xylazine
Rompun
100mg/ml
inj.
50ml
30 days or 20 punctures
Dechra
xylazine
XylaMed★
100mg/ml
inj.
50ml
N/A
Bimeda USA
Table Last Updated: Apr 23 2025
★Denotes product that currently has no Beyond Use Date.
Note: This list is NOT exhaustive and information may change on a regular basis. While our Program makes every effort to keep this table updated, it should NOT be saved as a permanent reference document.
Any questions or concerns about the use of drugs or other medical materials in animals should be directed to your ULAM Faculty Veterinarian.
Non-Controlled Substances
Non-controlled substances are drugs and other substances NOT regulated by the Federal Controlled Substances Act.
Study Teams needing to purchase non-controlled substances should enter an ePRO Requisition through M-Pathways to generate a purchase order after online access has been requested and granted for U-M’s preferred vendor, MWI Animal Health (MWI).
Detailed instructions on how to set up a new account with MWI are available on the Animal Care & Use Program’s website at animalcare.umich.edu/mwi-user-setupusing valid U-M login credentials.
Controlled Substances
The federal Controlled Substances Act defines and classifies drugs and other substances into five (5) controlled substance schedules (I – V) according to their potential for abuse and addiction. The substance’s schedule dictates the application process to use, and guidelines to follow, for security, storage, etc.
Investigators who require the use of controlled substances in their work with animals should review the U-M Controlled Substances in Research webpage for important information about the requirements for conducting such research at the University.
After registration with U-M’s Controlled Substances Program is complete, visit the U-M Order & Receive Controlled Substances for Research webpage for detailed instructions on how to order controlled substances through the appropriate channels.
Additional questions about research involving controlled substances at U-M, including institutional policies, questions about procedures, and general assistance should be directed to [email protected].
Related A-Z Documents
References and Resources
Questions?
Questions about research involving controlled substances should be directed to [email protected].