When astronauts reach for a painkiller in space they might not get the relief they expect. A NASA-funded investigation has found that medicines can be compromised by conditions in space. This could be a big problem for astronauts on longer space flights, such as a trip to Mars.
If stored correctly most drugs have a shelf life of between one and two years, during which time they should retain most of the potency indicated on the label. To investigate how space travel might affect drug potency, Brian Du, from the Wyle Engineering Group and colleagues sent four medical kits containing 35 medicines commonly used by astronauts into space, while four identical kits were stored in a controlled environment on Earth. The kits were sent back at intervals over 28 months.
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