Today we picked up Liam’s supplies for the next 90 days and I was labeling my very cool insulin case (thanks @Chris) for the 5 Novolog pens I received, then I noticed the brand new insulin pens we received had an expiration date of 09/19. I started labeling the paper with the dot notation and all then I suddenly realized that the 5 pens we had picked up 90 days ago expired on 01/20.
Is this normal??? Has anyone else received new supplies that had expiration dates ending sooner than some other older supplies you had received earlier?
@ClaudnDaye it does happen. The two main reasons are: 1) poor warehouse rotation, not utilizing FIFO procedures and, 2) many pharmacies in the US utilize multiple Wholesale Distribution middlemen when purchasing product. They all have sales/spiffs on competing products and the supply chain gets muddled. For example: I purchase (as a pharmacist) 10 vials of Humalog from wholesaler A regularly. It costs me $100/vial and I rebill as much as I think I can get with the insurance negotiated pricing. The next day I goo to purchase the same 10 vials, and wholesaler C has a deal whereby I make and additional $20/vial profit on the negotiated rate, so today I buy it there. The game continues on a daily basis with purchasing volumes, a wholesalers desire to lock a pharmacist into a supply contract and many other variables that affect the pharmacists cost each and every day.
Because of these buying practices, wholesaler C is having that great sale today, because the insulin is short coded, meaning the shelf life is nearing expiration. The pharmacist looks at the RX, and its a 3 month fill, so any code beyond that timeline is moot. Wholesaler A is $3.vial more expensive but the code is a year longer.