Powder (before mixing)
- Long term: freezer, around −20 °C.
- Weeks to a few months: fridge, 2–8 °C.
- Keep it dark and dry. Leave it in the box.
- A few days at room temperature during delivery is normal for freeze-dried powder, but heat speeds up breakdown.
Mixed vials
- Always in the fridge, 2–8 °C, standing upright.
- Do not freeze a mixed vial.
- Mixed with bacteriostatic water, most people use a vial within about 28 days, the usual limit for an opened multi-dose vial.
- Write the mixing date on the vial.
Philippine conditions
- Heat: never leave vials in a parked car or in direct sun.
- Brownouts: keep the fridge door shut; a closed fridge stays cold for a few hours. For longer outages, move vials to a cooler with ice packs.
- Deliveries: ask for an ice pack, put vials in the fridge the same day, and check for cracks.
- Humidity: keep powder in its sealed box until you use it.
Signs a vial has gone bad
- Cloudy liquid or floating bits after mixing.
- Powder that is wet, shrunken or discoloured before mixing.
- A cracked vial or loose cap.
- When in doubt, do not use it.