Short answer: Keep new Byetta pens in the fridge at 36-46°F (2-8°C) in the carton. After first use, the pen can be kept at a temperature not above 77°F (25°C). Throw it away 30 days after first use, even if medicine is left. Do not freeze it, do not use it if it froze, and protect it from light. Source: Byetta label, section 16.2 and Instructions for Use.
What does the Byetta label say?
Section 16.2: store Byetta in the refrigerator at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C). “After first use, BYETTA can be kept at a temperature not to exceed 77°F (25°C).” Do not freeze, and do not use Byetta if it has been frozen. Protect from light. “Discard the pen 30 days after first use, even if some drug remains in the pen.”
Byetta US prescribing information, section 16.2, and Instructions for Use.
| Stage | Where | Limit |
|---|
| Before first use | Refrigerator, 36-46°F (2-8°C), in the carton | Until the expiration date |
| After first use | No warmer than 77°F (25°C) | 30 days after first use |
| Carrying it away from home | 36-77°F (2-25°C), kept dry | - |
| Any time | Not frozen; protected from light | - |
How do you handle a Byetta pen once it is in use?
- Instructions for Use: do not store the pen with the needle attached. If the needle is left on, Byetta may leak and air bubbles may form in the cartridge.
- Replace the pen cap before storage, and store the pen between 36°F and 77°F (2-25°C).
- Each pen has enough medicine for two injections a day for 30 days (60 doses). The one-time new pen setup is done only once; repeating it before each dose uses up the pen before 30 days.
- Mark the first-use date and the date 30 days later in the spaces in the Instructions for Use.
See the Byetta dosing schedule, Byetta side effects, the exenatide page and missed a Byetta dose.
How do you travel with it?
The Instructions for Use say that when carrying the pen away from home, store it between 36°F and 77°F (2-25°C) and keep it dry. Unused pens should stay cold, and no pen should touch an ice pack directly, since frozen Byetta is not used.
- TSA allows medically necessary liquids over 3.4 oz in carry-on bags; declare them at the checkpoint for inspection.
- Unused syringes and pen needles are allowed when they travel with the injectable medicine.
- Ice packs and gel packs that keep medicine cool may go through frozen, partly frozen or melted.
- Keep medicine in your carry-on, not checked luggage, where you cannot control the temperature. Do not let it touch an ice pack directly, since most labels say do not freeze.
More in the travel guide.
Quoted from the current US label on DailyMed, not personalized advice. Labels change; the leaflet in your own carton, your pharmacist and your prescriber are the final word on how to store it.