Definition: Controlled room temperature is the storage range printed on most US tablet and capsule labels: 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F), with short excursions to 15 to 30 °C (59 to 86 °F) allowed. The phrase comes from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and labels point to it with a note such as "[see USP Controlled Room Temperature]".
| Label | What it says |
|---|---|
| Januvia | Store at 20-25 C (68-77 F), excursions permitted to 15-30 C (59-86 F). See USP Controlled Room Temperature. |
| Actos | Store at 25 C (77 F); excursions permitted to 15-30 C (59-86 F). Keep the container tightly closed and protect from light, moisture and humidity. |
| Gvoke | Store at 20 C to 25 C (68 F to 77 F); excursions permitted between 15 C and 30 C. Do not refrigerate or freeze. |
The range is about the room, not about a fridge. A medicine labeled this way is kept in a normal indoor space, away from places that run hot or cold, such as a car or a windowsill.
Refrigerated products often allow a set time out of the fridge, and those labels give their own limit rather than the USP range. Lantus says an unopened vial or pen may be kept at room temperature up to 86 °F for 28 days. Ovidrel says a patient may keep it at room temperature up to 77 °F for no more than 30 days. Those are product-specific rules, and the clock matters as much as the temperature.
Knowing whether a product is a "room temperature" tablet or a fridge item with a time allowance tells you which rule applies after a trip or a hot day. Writing down the date a refrigerated pen or vial came out of the fridge makes the label's day count easy to follow.
Read more on Dose Track: Left out of the fridge · Traveling with injectables · How to store Januvia, Janumet and Tradjenta · How to store Actos