France's national drug safety agency, the ANSM, has launched a project to extend the expiration dates of 73 commonly used medicines.
Under the plan announced on Wednesday, August 26, the health authority expects 47 of those products to see their shelf life increase from two or three years to four years or more. The regulator is collaborating with 14 volunteer pharmaceutical laboratories on the initiative, which will be rolled out across a five-year timeframe.
The program targets dry oral medications in everyday use, including paracetamol, amoxicillin, and melatonin. Paracetamol is a widely used painkiller and fever reducer, amoxicillin is a common penicillin-based antibiotic prescribed for bacterial infections, and melatonin is a hormone supplement used to treat sleep issues.
Yorick Berger, a spokesperson for the Fédération des syndicats pharmaceutiques de France, demonstrated the current situation from his pharmacy in Paris. Examining a blister pack of amoxicillin marked with an expiration date of June 2026, Berger explained during a report for French television channel TF1's 20H news broadcast that while he personally could still use the antibiotic, pharmacists officially do not have the legal right to do so.
Scope of shelf life extensions
The proposed extensions will apply exclusively to dry forms such as tablets and capsules. Liquid medications, including ointments and eye drops, are excluded from the scheme because they contain few preservatives and degrade faster over time, making shelf life extension unsuitable for those categories.
To implement the changes, participating pharmaceutical companies will submit official requests to modify the marketing authorizations for their products. The Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé, which oversees drug safety and market approvals across France, will evaluate the stability data before approving the updated shelf life terms.
Financial cost and pharmaceutical waste
French residents routinely return unused or expired medication to local pharmacies, where large quantities are discarded. Data from Cyclamed, the national non-profit organisation responsible for collecting unused drugs in France, shows that 8,500 tonnes of medicine are thrown away each year. Cyclamed noted that a significant portion of discarded pharmaceuticals are expired despite remaining fully effective.
The financial impact of wasted pharmaceuticals is substantial. According to the Cour des comptes, France's national audit court, the annual monetary value of discarded medications in the country ranges between 561 million euros and 1.7 billion euros.
Environmental impact and home storage
Health officials emphasized that prolonging expiration dates will limit pharmaceutical waste, improve medicine availability for patients, and lower the environmental footprint associated with manufacturing and destroying drugs. Opened packages of medication are frequently thrown out prematurely when expiration dates pass. In the TF1 broadcast, a female patient opening her home medicine cabinet showed a pack containing 30 tablets, noting that while she needed the medication, she did not require that many pills.
Health authorities also advised consumers on proper drug storage practices to preserve medication quality. To prevent premature degradation, medicines should not be stored in humid environments like bathrooms or exposed to elevated temperatures.
