Medicines utilized by astronauts on the Worldwide House Station may not be adequate for a three-year journey to Mars.
A brand new research led by Duke Well being exhibits that over half of the medicines stocked in house — staples reminiscent of ache relievers, antibiotics, allergy medicines, and sleep aids — would expire earlier than astronauts might return to Earth.
Astronauts might find yourself counting on ineffective and even dangerous medicine, in line with the research showing July 23 in npj Microgravity, a Nature journal.
It would not essentially imply the medicines will not work, however in the identical manner you should not take expired drugs you have got mendacity round at house, house exploration companies might want to plan on expired drugs being much less efficient.”
Daniel Buckland, M.D., Ph.D., senior research creator, assistant professor of emergency medication at Duke College College of Medication and aerospace medication researcher
Expired drugs can lose their energy by a little bit – or rather a lot. The precise stability and efficiency of medicines in house in comparison with Earth stay largely unknown. The tough house surroundings, together with radiation, might scale back the effectiveness of medicines.
Buckland and co-author Thomas E. Diaz, a pharmacy resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, famous that expired drugs might pose a problem as house companies plan for long-duration missions to Mars and past.
Diaz used a Freedom of Info Act Request to acquire details about the house station formulary, assuming NASA would use comparable drugs for a Mars mission.
Utilizing a database of worldwide drug expiration dates, the researchers decided that 54 of the 91 drugs had a shelf-life of 36 months or much less.
Utilizing essentially the most optimistic estimates, about 60% of those drugs would expire earlier than a Mars mission concludes. Underneath extra conservative assumptions, the determine jumps to 98%.
The research didn’t assume accelerated degradation however targeted on the lack to resupply a Mars mission with newer medicines. This lack of resupply impacts not solely drugs but additionally different vital provides, reminiscent of meals.
Rising the variety of drugs introduced on board might additionally assist compensate for lowered efficacy of expired meds, authors mentioned.
“These accountable for the well being of house flight crews should discover methods to increase the expiration of medicines to finish a Mars mission period of three years, choose drugs with longer shelf-lives, or settle for the elevated threat related to administering expired remedy,” Diaz mentioned.
“Prior expertise and analysis present astronauts do get sick on the Worldwide House Station, however there’s real-time communication with the bottom and a well-stocked pharmacy that’s frequently resupplied, which prevents small accidents or minor diseases from turning into points that have an effect on the mission,” Buckland mentioned.
Further authors embrace Emma Ives and Diana I. Lazare. The research acquired no exterior funding.
Supply:
Journal reference:
Diaz, T. E., et al. (2024). Expiration evaluation of the Worldwide House Station formulary for exploration mission planning. Npj Microgravity. doi.org/10.1038/s41526-024-00414-3.
