Beyond-use date (BUD)
A beyond-use date is the date after which a compounded preparation should not be used, assigned by the compounding pharmacy based on USP standards and stability data — the compounded-drug equivalent of a manufacturer’s expiration date, and usually much shorter.
- Set by the pharmacy under USP <795> / <797>
- Typically shorter than manufactured expiration dates
- Drives monthly dispensing cycles
- Extended BUDs need stability data
Why BUDs are shorter than expiration dates
Manufactured drugs carry expiration dates backed by formal stability studies at industrial scale. Compounded preparations are made in small batches for a specific patient, so USP chapters <795> (non-sterile) and <797> (sterile) set conservative default limits — days to a few months depending on the preparation and storage — unless the pharmacy has product-specific stability data supporting a longer date.
Why it matters to a telehealth program
The BUD sets how much a pharmacy can dispense per order and how far ahead it can prepare. A GLP-1 program’s monthly cycle exists partly because monthly dispensing fits inside typical BUDs for compounded injectables. Programs that want to ship 90-day supplies need a pharmacy with stability data supporting a BUD long enough to cover it.
- Constrains days’ supply per shipment
- Constrains how far ahead the pharmacy can compound
- Should appear on the label and in the order record
- Longer BUDs require pharmacy-specific stability data — ask for it
Compliance handled, so you can build
Lithos runs the clinicians, pharmacies, and 50-state rules behind your care program — one API.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the beyond-use date for compounded semaglutide?
It depends on the pharmacy’s formulation and stability data; commonly weeks to a few months refrigerated. Ask the pharmacy for the BUD and the data supporting it rather than assuming.
Is a BUD the same as an expiration date?
No. Expiration dates are set by manufacturers from large-scale stability studies; BUDs are assigned by compounding pharmacies under USP standards and are typically shorter.
Can a program ship a 90-day supply of a compounded medication?
Only if the pharmacy’s BUD for that preparation supports it and state rules on days’ supply allow. Many programs dispense monthly for this reason.