West Virginia MPJE (Pharmacy Jurisprudence) Practice Exam

If the expiration date is "8/2017", what is the last possible date of use?

1. 8/1/2017

2. 8/15/2017

3. 8/30/2017

4. 8/31/2017

The correct answer is: 8/1/2017

When a medication’s expiration date is listed as "8/2017," it signifies that the manufacturer guarantees the potency and safety of the medication until the end of that month, meaning the last day it should be used is the last day of August 2017. However, the common practice in the pharmaceutical industry is to consider the labeled expiration date as the last date on which the product can be safely used. Thus, while expiration dates typically suggest that products should no longer be used after the month noted, unless otherwise specified, practices tend to treat the label as referring to the very last day of that month (e.g., August 31, 2017). In some interpretations, the earliest that this date can be considered valid is the beginning of the month indicated, but it is important to recognize that manufacturers' labeling often provides validity throughout that month rather than limiting it to the first day. Ultimately, for this specific question, the actual last possible date of use according to industry standards is August 31, 2017. Therefore, the option suggesting usage before the month ends aligns better with standard pharmacy practice where products can be used until the last day of the month stated on the expiration date label.