Despite a date listed on the box, do at-home coronavirus tests really expire? – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Just because your at-home coronavirus (COVID-19) test is past its expiration date, doesnt necessarily mean its actually expired, according to a new report.

Earlier this week, a New York Times article explained that the regulatory process associated with at-home coronavirus tests has resulted in various tests being listed with earlier expiration dates, despite the fact that they may still be effective past that date.

Its true that home Covid-19 tests are marked with expiration dates, but the actual expiration for a box of tests can be a moving target. Before throwing away a home test because you think it may have expired, do a little homework first, according to the article.

The Times spoke with Dr. Michael Mina, the chief science officer for eMed and an expert in at-home tests, who explained that the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) process in determining the shelf life of coronavirus tests has resulted in many tests effectiveness being extended past the expiration date labeled on the box.

For some products, the FDA allows manufacturers to conduct whats known as accelerated dating, where researchers quickly simulate aging conditions to determine a products shelf life. This process may only take a few weeks, but can determine whether a product will be good for months, or even years, in the future.

However, in the case of at-home coronavirus tests, the FDA is requiring real-time data, meaning manufacturers must actually wait for the months to pass to determine a products shelf life.

As a result, many at-home coronavirus tests were initially made available with expiration dates six months in the future, as manufacturers only had six months of real-time data to prove their long-term viability.

But as more months pass and manufacturers continue their studies, they may find that the tests remain effective and seek an extension of the original expiration date that is posted on the test.

When the test is new, it has a six-month expiration, Mina told The New York Times. But once you get to six months, the FDA. may extend it. Thats been happening a lot, which is exceedingly confusing.

So how can you check to see if the expiration date for your at-home test has been extended?

At-home test users can visit the FDA website and view all documents related to extending a tests shelf life, including antigen tests and molecular tests.

From there, search for the brand of at-home test you have, see if there has been any extension and then do some simple math.

Hypothetically, if a tests shelf life has been extended from six months to 12 months, simply add six months to the listed expiration date to determine the updated date.

Experts said they believe that the actual shelf life of these at-home tests are much longer than the six months that they were originally listed with, meaning users should make sure they check for expiration date extensions before tossing out what may be a perfectly good test.

The reality is that these tests are very, very stable, Mina told The Times. My expectation is that most of them, if not all of them, eventually will have a two-year expiration date at least. If the control line is showing up and its within 18 to 24 months of the manufacture date, you should assume the test is working.

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Despite a date listed on the box, do at-home coronavirus tests really expire? - SILive.com