Short answer: Keep unopened Semglee in the fridge at 36-46°F (2-8°C) until the expiration date, or up to 86°F (30°C) for 28 days. An opened vial lasts 28 days in the fridge or at room temperature. An in-use pen lasts 28 days at room temperature only, cap on, and does not go back in the fridge. Throw away Semglee that froze. Source: Semglee label, section 16.2.
What does the Semglee label say?
Section 16.2: “Store unused SEMGLEE in a refrigerator between 2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F). Do not freeze. Discard SEMGLEE if it has been frozen. Protect SEMGLEE from direct heat and light.”
Semglee US prescribing information, section 16.2 storage table.
| Form | Unopened, refrigerated | Unopened, room temp (up to 86°F) | In use (opened) |
|---|
| 10 mL multiple-dose vial | Until expiration date | 28 days | 28 days, refrigerated or room temperature |
| 3 mL prefilled pen | Until expiration date | 28 days | 28 days, room temperature only (do not refrigerate) |
What do the Instructions for Use add?
- Pen: “Take a new pen out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before you inject. Cold insulin is more painful to inject.”
- Pen after first use: keep it at room temperature below 86°F (30°C), away from heat or light, with the pen cap on. Do not put it back in the refrigerator, and do not store it with the needle attached. Throw it away 28 days after first use, even if insulin is left.
- Unopened vials: kept in the fridge they can be used until the expiration date; stored at room temperature they are thrown away after 28 days. “If a vial has been frozen or overheated, throw it away.”
- Opened vials: in the fridge or below 86°F (30°C) for up to 28 days, then thrown away, or sooner if the expiration date has passed.
Semglee (insulin glargine-yfgn) is approved as a biosimilar to insulin glargine; its storage table has the same figures as the Lantus table, but each product has its own label. See the Semglee dosing schedule, Semglee side effects and missed a Semglee dose.
How do you travel with it?
Opened Semglee travels at room temperature, below 86°F (30°C), for the rest of its 28 days. Unopened spares should stay cold, or they start their own 28-day room-temperature limit. Keep them off direct contact with an ice pack, since frozen Semglee is thrown away.
- 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.