Navigating the storage and refrigeration requirements of type 2 diabetes injections, like Victoza, Mounjaro, Ozempic, Trulicity, or Byetta can be challenging.
Victoza (liraglutide) is a non-insulin injectable prescription medication that belongs to the class of GLP-1 drugs and stimulates insulin production to help lower blood sugar levels and supports weight-loss. It is administered daily with an easy-to-use injection pen.
Due to its sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and exposure to extreme temperatures, it needs to be refrigerated and stored properly, making proper storage a top priority to maintain its efficacy.
So, if you're among the many managing Type 2 Diabetes with Victoza in Canada, understanding how to properly store your medication is absolutely essential. Here’s a series of frequently asked questions answered by our experts about Victoza storage.
Related article: Does Insulin Need to Be Refrigerated and How to Store it Properly?
Does Victoza Need to be Refrigerated?
Absolutely, Victoza needs to be refrigerated as its effectiveness hinges on being stored at the correct temperature.
Unopened Victoza pens must be kept in the fridge between 2°C to 8°C. However, once you've started using a pen, it may be stored at room temperature, so long as the temperature stays below 30°C, and for no more than 30 days.
Ensuring that your Victoza is kept refrigerated and stored correctly can prevent medication wastage, safeguard your health, and ensure the continuity of your diabetes management plan. Always consult with your doctor if you suspect that your Victoza may have gone bad.
Victoza storage instructions
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Victoza, provides clear guidelines for Victoza storage:
- Before First Use: unopened Victoza pens must be stored in the fridge at 2°C to 8°C.
- After Opening: your Victoza pens can be kept out of the fridge, at room temperature, but always below 30°C and for a maximum of 30 days.
- Additionally, Victoza needs to be protected from sunlight and can not be frozen.
What happens if Victoza is not refrigerated
Victoza, a biologic medication, is particularly vulnerable to temperatures and storage conditions. The active substance in your Victoza injection pens, called Liraglutide, is a peptide, which means it's a chain of amino acids similar to proteins in our body. Like all proteins, Liraglutide can denature, which means it can lose its three-dimensional structure when exposed to temperatures outside its stable range. This structural integrity is essential for its biological activity.
Refrigeration is vital for Victoza because it helps maintain the stability of Liraglutide and slows the rate of chemical reactions that can cause the medication to degrade and lose its potency. By keeping Victoza refrigerated, you ensure that the medication retains its structural integrity and functional capacity to lower blood sugar effectively over time, thereby extending its shelf life and ensuring its therapeutic effects are preserved until the expiration date.
Related article: Does Mounjaro Need to Be Refrigerated?
How long does a Victoza pen last in the fridge?
Like any other drugs, Victoza has a limited shelf life, even when kept refrigerated. Before first use, a Victoza pen lasts until its expiration date when store in the fridge. The expiration date is labelled on the pen and on the carton box. Never use a Victoza pen after its expiration date.
Related article: How to Store and Refrigerate Ozempic In All Situations?
Does Victoza Have To Be Refrigerated After Opening?
Not strictly. While you can refrigerate opened Victoza pens, you can also simply store them at room temperature. But, the crucial part is always to avoid exposing them to temperatures above 30°C and to use them within the 30-day window.
Throw away any Victoza pen that’s been open or out of the fridge for more than 30 days, even if there’s still medicine inside. The efficacy and safety of your injection can’t be guaranteed anymore.
How long can Victoza be out of the fridge?
A Victoza injection pen can stay out of the fridge for no more than 30 days, but only under the condition it’s been stored below the threshold temperature of 30°C. If it exceeds this period or temperature, it should not be used.
After 30 days, you should throw your Victoza pen away, even if there’s still medicine inside.
Victoza Storage & Refrigeration: FAQs
What to do if Victoza gets warm?
According to Novo Nordisk’s storage instructions for Victoza, if your injection pen has been exposed to temperature over 30°C, you should not use it. Throw your pen away and get a new one from the fridge.
At temperatures higher than 30°C, the molecular stability of Liraglutide, the active ingredient in your Victoza pen, is at risk. The medication can spoil, which can not only diminishes its ability to lower blood sugar levels but may also render it completely ineffective.
Now, don’t overreact and panic. Brief, incidental exposure to warmer temperatures, such as for a few minutes, is unlikely to cause harm.
In any case, never attempt to warm your Victoza pens and never leave them near a heat source such as a chemney, stove, or barbecue, as this could cause quick and irreversible damage to your medication.
If in doubt, consult with your healthcare provider or pharmacist to ensure your Victoza pen is safe to use.
Related article: Why Does Trulicity Need to Be Refrigerated and How to Store your Injector Pens?
What to do if you’ve left Victoza in a hot car?
Annually, over 4 million Americans are prescribed Victoza, or Liraglutide (also sold under the name Saxenda for weight loss). Needless to say, you won’t be the only one to forget your Victoza pen in your car! It can happen to anyone.
However, if your Victoza pen has been left in the car on a hot summer day, it's more than likely that the temperature inside exceeded 30°C. Under these circumstances, the pen should be considered unsafe for use. To continue your treatment uninterrupted, replace the overheated pen with a new one from your home stock or get a replacement from the nearest pharmacy.
How to keep Victoza refrigerated while traveling?
Traveling to warm destinations or spending extended periods outdoors can expose your Victoza pens to temperatures that exceed the recommended storage conditions. It is crucial to maintain the right temperature, especially when temperatures rise above 30°C.
One of the most effective solutions to keep Victoza cool while traveling is using a specialized medicine travel cooler. Brands like 4AllFamily offer medical-grade portable coolers designed specifically for refrigerated medications like Victoza.
These coolers can maintain fridge temperatures ( 2°C to 8°C) for unopened Victoza pens for several days, with or without electricity. Additionally, they provide a stable environment to keep in-use Victoza pens within the safe temperature range of 15°C to 30°C, ensuring your medication is protected from the heat during your travels.
Related article: How to Tavel and Fly With Your Victoza Pens?
Can you freeze Victoza?
No, Victoza should never be frozen. Freezing can irreversibly damage the medication, making it ineffective and unsafe for use. Frozen Victoza loses its effectiveness as the active ingredient, Liraglutide, is not stable when frozen and may precipitate or change state. Even if thawed, you should never use a Victoza pen that has been frozen.
To avoid freezing, do not store Victoza pens near freezer compartment in your refrigerator. When in cold climates, carry your Victoza pen in an inner pocket close to your body to use your body heat as a natural warmer.
Also, if you use a travel cooler for Victoza, make sure it has an anti-freeze protection, like the ones from 4AllFamily. Our coolers are equipped with Biogel packs that contain crystals designed to freeze at 2°C, which is safely above Victoza's freezing point of 0°C. This innovative feature significantly reduces the risk of accidentally freezing your medication.
Moreover, our most advanced models come with built-in temperature sensors that automatically shut off the cooling process if the temperature gets too low. The cooler will then reactivate once the temperature is back within a safe range.
Related article: Can Insulin Freeze? Risks and Prevention of Frozen Insulin.
How to tell if Victoza has gone bad?
Victoza should appear as a clear, colorless liquid inside your injection pens. If the liquid inside your injection pen looks cloudy, has changed color, or has particles in it, it has probably gone bad. Discard the pen immediately and replace it with a new one from your refrigerator.
Unusually high blood sugar levels could also indicate that your Victoza pen has gone bad and is no longer effective. When in doubt, stop using your pen and ask for your doctor’s advice.
Related article: How to Tell If Insulin Has Gone Bad?
What happens if you use expired or unrefrigerated Victoza?
Using expired or improperly stored Victoza can have detrimental effects on your health and diabetes management. Over time, or when not stored at the recommended temperatures, Victoza can degrade. This degradation can lead to a loss of effectiveness, meaning it may not lower blood glucose levels as expected. This poses a direct risk of uncontrolled blood sugar, which can cause diabetes-related complications.
That’s why monitoring the storage conditions of your Victoza pen, making sure it’s kept refrigerated and protected from the heat, and checking the expiration date are all essential!
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