---
title: "What Is a Beyond-Use Date (BUD)? BUD vs Expiration"
description: "A beyond-use date is the last date a compounded preparation may be stored or used. How it differs from an expiration date, and how Cuvo Health labels it."
canonical: "https://cuvo.co/glossary/beyond-use-date"
last-updated: "Oct 26, 2026"
---
**Definition:** A beyond-use date (BUD) is the date or time after which a compounded preparation may not be stored, transported or started on a patient, counted from when it was compounded. It is set by the compounder and differs from the expiration date a manufacturer sets for an FDA-approved drug.

# What is a beyond-use date (BUD)?

Every compounded preparation carries a date after which it should not be used, and that date is set differently than a manufacturer's expiration date. For a telehealth brand shipping compounded medication, it decides how much supply can go in one box and when the refill must land. Cuvo Health puts a lot number and a beyond-use date on every order.

Published Oct 26, 2026. Facts reviewed Oct 26, 2026.

A beyond-use date (BUD) is the date or time after which a compounded preparation shall not be stored or transported or begin to be administered to a patient, counted from the date or time it was compounded. That is how Texas defines it in its pharmacy rules for nonsterile and sterile compounding (22 TAC 291.131 and 291.133), which require the BUD on the dispensed label and set it under USP chapters 795 and 797. An FDA-approved drug carries an expiration date instead, set by the manufacturer's stability testing. On Cuvo Health, every order carries a lot number and a beyond-use date, and refrigerated medication ships direct to the patient, typically within 2 business days, so little of the dating window is spent in transit.

**At a glance**
- Applies to: Compounded preparations, sterile and nonsterile
- Set by: The compounding pharmacy, counted from the date compounded
- Standard: USP chapter 795 (nonsterile) and 797 (sterile), as state boards adopt them
- Where it appears: On the dispensed label, as Texas rules require
- After opening: FDA recommends multiple-dose sterile vials be used within 28 days of first use
- On Cuvo: A lot number and beyond-use date on every order

**Beyond-use date vs expiration date**

| Question | Beyond-use date | Expiration date |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Applies to** | A compounded preparation | An FDA-approved drug product |
| **Set by** | The compounding pharmacy | The manufacturer |
| **Based on** | Stability data where it exists, else USP default limits | Stability testing under 21 CFR 211.166 |
| **Rule** | State pharmacy rules adopting USP 795 and 797, such as Texas 22 TAC 291.131 and 291.133 | 21 CFR 211.137 |
| **Required on** | The dispensed label of a compounded preparation | The drug product's labeling, under 21 CFR 211.137(d) |

## 01. Why does a beyond-use date matter for a telehealth brand?

It sets the shape of the program. Medication shipped by mail spends days in transit, the patient then uses it over weeks, and the whole span has to fit inside the dating window. A brand that sells a three-month supply of a preparation whose BUD is shorter than that is selling a supply the patient could not finish before the date passes. The lot number printed beside the BUD is what lets a recall reach the patients holding an affected batch.

On Cuvo, refills are provider-reviewed and scheduled so the next shipment lands before the current supply runs out, which keeps patients inside the dating window without overstocking them.

## 02. How is a beyond-use date different from an expiration date?

An expiration date comes from formal stability testing of a manufactured product: 21 CFR 211.137 requires every drug product to bear one, tied to the storage conditions on its labeling. A BUD is assigned by the compounding pharmacist from the stability information available for that preparation and, where none exists, from default limits. Outsourcing facilities under section 503B label an expiration date, because federal law requires one on their labels.

## 03. Who sets a beyond-use date, and how?

The compounding pharmacy, under its state's rules. For nonsterile preparations, Texas requires the pharmacist to weigh the ingredients' properties, preservatives, dosage form, container, storage conditions and peer-reviewed stability data. Without stability data, and in tight, light-resistant containers, its nonsterile rule caps the BUD at 14 days refrigerated for a nonpreserved aqueous preparation, 35 days for a preserved one, 90 days for a nonaqueous oral liquid and 180 days for other nonaqueous forms. Sterile limits follow USP 797. Once a multiple-dose sterile vial is opened, FDA recommends using it within 28 days. This is general information, not medical or legal advice.

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: What is a beyond-use date?**

A: It is the date or time after which a compounded preparation should not be stored, transported or begun on a patient, counted from when it was compounded and printed on the label. On Cuvo, every order carries a lot number and a beyond-use date.

**Q: Beyond-use date vs expiration date: what is the difference?**

A: A beyond-use date is set by a compounding pharmacy for a compounded preparation, while an expiration date is set by a manufacturer from stability testing for an FDA-approved product. On Cuvo, compounded orders carry the pharmacy's beyond-use date alongside the lot number.

**Q: Can you use a compounded medication after its beyond-use date?**

A: No. The beyond-use date marks when a preparation should no longer be used, and the patient should ask the pharmacy or the prescriber about a replacement. On Cuvo, refills are scheduled so the next shipment arrives before the current supply runs out.

**Q: How long is a multiple-dose vial good for after opening?**

A: FDA recommends that multiple-dose vials of sterile medication be used within 28 days after first use, even if medication remains and even if the compounder's instructions say longer. On Cuvo, every order carries the pharmacy's beyond-use date and lot number, and refills are scheduled before the supply runs out.

**Q: Does a telehealth brand need to track beyond-use dates?**

A: It needs a pharmacy partner that dates every order and a refill schedule that fits inside the dating window. Cuvo Health puts a lot number and beyond-use date on every order and schedules provider-reviewed refills, so the brand never manages dating itself.

**Related pages**

- [Compounded medication](/glossary/compounded-medication): What compounding is, and is not
- [Cold chain shipping for medications](/glossary/pharmacy-cold-chain): Keeping a dated preparation in range
- [How to choose a telehealth pharmacy partner](/blog/how-to-choose-a-telehealth-pharmacy-partner): Dating, lot tracking and recall questions
- [GLP-1 pharmacy fulfillment](/blog/glp1-fulfillment-pipeline): Prescription to doorstep
- [Pharmacy and e-prescribing on Cuvo](/pharmacy): Lot number and beyond-use date on every order

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