Medications used by astronauts on the International Space Station might not be good enough for a three-year journey to Mars. A new study led by Duke Health shows that over half of the medicines stocked in space -- staples such as pain relievers, antibiotics, allergy medicines, and sleep aids -- would expire before astronauts could return to Earth. Astronauts could end up relying on ineffective or even harmful drugs, according to the study appearing July 23 in npj Microgravity, a Nature journal.
It doesn't necessarily mean the medicines won't work, but in the same way you shouldn't take expired medications you have lying around at home, space exploration agencies will need to plan on expired medications being less effective." Daniel Buckland, M.D.
, Ph.D., senior study author, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and aerospace medicine researcher Expired medications can lose their strength by a little – or a lot.
The actual stability and potency of medications in space compared to Earth remain largely unknown. The harsh space environment, including radiation, could reduce the effectiveness of medications. Buckland and co-author Thomas E.
Diaz, a pharmacy resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, noted that expired medications could pose a challenge as space agencies plan for long-duration missions to Mars and beyond. Diaz used a Freedom of Information Act Request to obtain information about the space station formulary, assuming NASA wo.