Does docetaxel expire?
The printed date covers the sealed pack. Once docetaxel is opened, mixed or diluted, its label sets a second and usually much shorter limit — quoted below, per product.
Shortest limit on any docetaxel label: 1 hour
“Sodium Chloride solution or 5% Dextrose solution) should be used within 4 hours (including the 1 hour intravenous administration).”
That applies to the product it is printed on, not to every form of docetaxel — check which one you have against the list below.
What the labels say
“Sodium Chloride solution or 5% Dextrose solution) should be used within 4 hours (including the 1 hour intravenous administration).”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“Sodium Chloride solution or 5% Dextrose solution) should be used within 6 hours (including the 1 hour intravenous administration).”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“Stability Docetaxel Injection final dilution for infusion, if stored between 2°C and 25°C (36°F and 77°F), is stable for 4 hours.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“Stability Docetaxel Injection infusion solution, if stored between 2°C and 25°C (36°F and 77°F) is stable for 4 hours in either 0.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“Use within 4 hours including storage and administration.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“Stability Docetaxel injection final dilution for infusion, if stored between 2°C and 25°C (36°F and 77°F), is stable for 4 hours.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“Stability Docetaxel injection final dilution for infusion, if stored between 2° and 25°C (36° and 77°F), is stable for 4 hours.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“Stability Docetaxel Injection final dilution for infusion, if stored between 2°C and 25°C (36°F and 77°F) is stable for 6 hours.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“After first use and following multiple needle entries and product withdrawals, Docetaxel Injection multiple-dose vials are stable for up to 28 days when stored between 2°C and 8°C (36°F and 46°F) and protected from light.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“After first use and following multiple needle entries and product withdrawals, docetaxel injection multiple-dose vials are stable for up to 28 days when stored between 2°C and 8°C (36°F and 46°F) and protected from light.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“After first use and following multiple needle entries and product withdrawals, docetaxel injection multiple-dose vials are stable for up to 28 days when stored between 2° and 8°C (36° and 46°F) and protected from light.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
“After first use and following multiple needle entries and product withdrawals, Docetaxel Injection, USP multiple-dose vials are stable for up to 28 days when stored between 2° and 8°C (36° and 46°F) and protected from light.”
On the label for Docetaxel · DailyMed
How the label says to keep docetaxel
Storage is the other half of the question: the stability behind any date assumes these conditions, and a medicine kept outside them ages faster than the calendar says.
- “16 HOW SUPPLIED/STORAGE AND HANDLING 16.”
- “Store at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F).”
- “Retain in the original package to protect from light.”
- “and Handling (16.”
- “HOW SUPPLIED/STORAGE AND HANDLING 16.”
- “Store between 2°C and 25°C (36°F and 77°F).”
- “Retain in the original package to protect from bright light.”
- “and Handling ( 16.”
Frequently asked questions
Does docetaxel expire?
Two different clocks apply and only one of them is the printed date. The date on a sealed pack is the manufacturer's guarantee for the unopened product. Once it is opened, mixed or diluted, the label imposes its own limit — as tight as 1 hour on some docetaxel products, and that is the number quoted on this page.
Can I still use docetaxel after the date on the box?
This page cannot tell you that, and nor can any page. The FDA's own shelf-life programme found 88% of tested lots stayed within specification at least a year past expiry — and concluded in the same breath that lot-to-lot variation means this can only be confirmed by testing each lot. What you can check at home is the in-use limit above and whether the product has been stored as the label requires. Ask a pharmacist about a specific pack; they will also dispose of what you no longer need.
Why do different docetaxel products have different limits?
Because they are different formulations. A suspension that gets mixed with water, a pen that gets carried at room temperature, and a sealed tablet do not behave alike, so each manufacturer's label sets its own limit and each is shown here with the product it belongs to. We never merge them into one number for the molecule.
More on docetaxel
Quoted from FDA labels for reference, not medical advice, and not a suggestion to use anything past its limit. If you are unsure whether a pack is still good, a pharmacist can tell you and can dispose of it safely.