If a medication's expiration date is 12/14, when does it expire?

If a medication's expiration date is 12/14, when does it expire?

• A. December 1, 2014 at 11:59 PM
• B. December 31, 2014 at 11:59 PM
• C. December 31, 2014 at midnight
• D. January 1, 2015 at 12:00 AM

Answer: (C)

Expiration dates show when the labeled month/year life ends, and the end is treated as the last moment of that month. For 12/14, the product’s shelf life runs through the entire month of December 2014. The moment that marks the end is midnight on December 31, 2014—the transition to January 1, 2015. So the expiration moment is December 31, 2014 at midnight. The other times would place the expiration at either an earlier date in December, the end of the day at 11:59 PM, or push it into the new year, which doesn’t align with the label.

Expiration dates show when the labeled month/year life ends, and the end is treated as the last moment of that month. For 12/14, the product’s shelf life runs through the entire month of December 2014. The moment that marks the end is midnight on December 31, 2014—the transition to January 1, 2015. So the expiration moment is December 31, 2014 at midnight. The other times would place the expiration at either an earlier date in December, the end of the day at 11:59 PM, or push it into the new year, which doesn’t align with the label.