The first astronauts to Mars will be venturing further than any human has ever been before. And if any of them experience health problems along the way, they may be in for a medical emergency.Kidney disease in space” or bacterial infections, which astronauts are almost entirely on their own to deal with. On top of these challenges, new research has uncovered another one: The medicines astronauts bring on missions tend to expire before they return to Earth.
A variety of medical supplies are available to astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). If they run out or expire, they can be replenished during resupply missions. However, the journey to Mars takes about nine months round trip, plus an additional three months on the Red Planet until Earth and Mars are in the right position for the return journey. 21 months In total, there is no new supply.
NASA doesn’t normally release the medications used on the ISS, but the authors of the new study used a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the list, assuming a similar inventory would be in place for the Mars-bound mission. Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine assessed how long each medication would last in its original packaging. This, too, poses problems because the shelf life is based on the medications being stored in their original packaging, but medications sent to the ISS are repackaged before launch.
Additionally, it’s unclear how long these drugs will last in space; they may even break down more quickly. Radiation.
The good news is that the minimum expiration date is 18 months, meaning that there is “minimal risk” for long-term missions to the moon, although astronauts may find the medication less effective on longer missions.
“Using the maximum expiration date listed on the label from all sources for each medication, we found that 14 medications had an expiration date within 24 months: one eye lubricant, one advanced life support medication, one anaphylaxis medication, one benzodiazepine, one antianginal medication, two corticosteroids, one local anesthetic, one topical urinary jelly, two antibiotics, one antipsychotic, one inhaler, and one earwax remover,” the team wrote in their paper. “Furthermore, more than half […] Of the entire ISS prescription for 2023, there are plans to expire within the next 36 months.”
Making a more conservative estimate of efficacy based on each drug’s minimum labeled shelf life, 97.8 percent of drugs brought to the ISS will expire within 36 months.
Pharmaceutical companies guarantee the effectiveness of a drug up until the expiration date, but after that date its effectiveness may decrease.
“This doesn’t necessarily mean the medication won’t work, but just as you shouldn’t take expired medication sitting around at home, space agencies should assume that expired medications will be less effective,” said Daniel Backlund, an aerospace medicine researcher and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. statement.
“Ultimately, those responsible for the health of astronauts will have to find a way to extend the expiration date of medications for the duration of the mission,” the team concluded, “or accept the increased risks associated with administering expired medications.”
The study has been published in the journal npj Microgravity.
