The proper storage and use of drugs and other medical materials in animal-based research – including clear and appropriate labeling of all substances – is essential for ensuring animal welfare, maintaining programmatic compliance, and protecting scientific rigor.
To assist laboratories with this simple but important task, our Program has developed a standard labeling template that can be downloaded from the Animal Care A-Z website. 
The template can be printed using standard Avery 5167 ½” x 1 ¾” labels, which will allow for approximately 80 individual labels per 8.5” x 11” sheet.
Each label contains space to write-in the following information:
- Puncture Date
- BUD (Beyond Use Date)
- Initials of Individual Who Punctured
Beyond Use Dates
Many pharmaceutical products have a standard Expiration Date in addition to a Beyond Use Date. Regulatory oversight bodies require strict adherence to a product’s Beyond Use Date (i.e., “Use-By-Date”), if provided by the manufacturer.
These 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.”
More information about managing products with Beyond Use Dates, including a list of dates for several of the most frequently used anesthetic and analgesic drugs in animal research, can be found via the Beyond Use Dates for Frequently Used Anesthetic and Analgesic Drugs Table on the Drug Management page.
Labeling Instructions
The following product/drug labeling guidance has been summarized based upon several Animal Care & Use Program documents. For detailed labeling and storage instructions, please refer to:
- Policy on the Use, Storage, and Expiration of Substances, Agents, and Medical Materials Used in Animals
- Guidelines on the Preparation of Injectable Substances and Agents Administered to Animals
- Guidelines for the Storage of Sterile Items
- All substances and agents should be clearly labeled with their full name, concentration, and the relevant Expiration or Beyond Use Date.
- If the manufacturer recommendations include an Expiration Date and a Beyond Use Date, the substance or agent expires on whichever date occurs first.
- All expired items should be clearly labeled as expired and segregated from non-expired items until they can be appropriately discarded.
- Consider writing ‘No Exp’ on the packaging/bottle of any supplies that do NOT have an expiration date to easily identify these materials.
- Drugs and diluents should be placed into a sterile, rubber stoppered vial and labeled with the following information:
- Names of ALL drugs – written in full, WITHOUT abbreviations – in the diluted mixture
- Concentration of drug mixture
- Preparation Date
- Expiration Date
- The expiration date for the diluted solution is determined by the earliest expiration date of any of its component drugs or diluents
- Names of ALL drugs – written in full, WITHOUT abbreviations – in the diluted mixture
- Label package with the date of sterilization to ensure use of oldest stock first
- For commercially prepared sterile items with an established expiration date, follow manufacturer-recommended expiration dates
- Do not use any item suspected of being compromised (pack becomes wet, punctured, torn, seal is broken, or is damaged in some other way, or the process monitor is questionable)
Additional Resources
- Quick Reference Sheet: Monitoring Expired Drugs & Medical Materials
- Helpful Information: Navigating the Proper Use of Substances, Agents, Medical Materials, and Drugs with Animals
Questions?
For questions about using specific drugs or other medical materials in animals, contact your ULAM Faculty Veterinarian.
For assistance with proper labeling techniques, or establishing a system to monitor for expired materials in your laboratory, reach out to the Quality Assurance Team in the Animal Care & Use Office at [email protected].
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