How Well Would Meds Work on a Mission to Mars? [Video]

Key Takeaways

Astronauts headed to Mars might wind up with degraded drug stores on the return tripMore than half of the medicines stocked in space will expire during a three-year voyageThese include pain relievers, antibiotics, allergy medicines and sleep aids

TUESDAY, July 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) — How many drugs in your bathroom medicine cabinet have expired?

Now imagine you have no way of refilling them, because you’re millions of miles from home.

That’s the dilemma that will face astronauts on a Mars mission, a new study warns.

More than half of the medicines stocked on the International Space Station would expire before a mission to Mars could make it back to Earth, results show.

These include staples like pain relievers, antibiotics, allergy medicines and sleep aids.

Astronauts on their way back from Mars could end up relying on drugs that have become either ineffective or even harmful over time, researchers reported July 23 in the journal Microgravity.

“It doesn’t necessarily …