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  1. Medical Information Right
  2. Bone Right
  3. Forteo (teriparatide injection) Right
  4. Can Forteo® (teriparatide injection) be used while traveling?
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Forteo ® (teriparatide injection)

20-mcg daily dose in a 2.24-mL prefilled delivery device

Full Prescribing Information

This information is provided in response to your request. Resources may contain information about doses, uses, formulations and populations different from product labeling. See Prescribing Information above, if applicable.

Can Forteo® (teriparatide injection) be used while traveling?

Forteo® (teriparatide) should be stored in the refrigerator at all times. The total travel time allowed per device outside refrigeration is 36 hours provided the temperature that the teriparatide is exposed to during travel does not exceed 77°F or 25°C.

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Overview

General Guidance

Forteo (teriparatide) should be stored in the refrigerator at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C) at all times except when administering the product. Do not expose it to freezing temperatures.1

When you travel, it may be convenient to keep the Forteo device and needles in the padded bag provided with the Forteo starter kit. It is pertinent to note that you

  • do not store the bag itself in the freezer or refrigerator, and
  • do not store the Forteo device in, for example, the trunk of a car when driving or in the luggage area of a plane where it can become too hot or too cold.2

The 36-Hour Travel Allowance

The total (cumulative) travel time allowed per device outside refrigeration is 36 hours as long as the temperature that Forteo exposed to during travel does not exceed 77°F or 25°C (room temperature).2

The 36 hours

  • excludes the time outside refrigeration when taking a dose
  • applies to in-use and unused Forteo devices, and
  • may be split into different periods as long as the cumulative travel time is not more than 36 hours.2

If your travels by chance lasted longer than 36 hours or if Forteo was exposed to temperatures above 77°F (25°C) at any time during the travel, please call the Lilly Call Center at 1-800-545-5979. Lilly can assess if the Forteo can still be used.2

Travel by Air

A little advanced planning is needed when you travel by air with Forteo. Before you travel, make sure you have a copy of your Forteo prescription label. You may be asked to verify that the Forteo delivery device and needles belong to you.2,3

The needles must be sealed. Some airlines may not allow you to bring unsealed needles onto an airplane.2

Take the Forteo with you onto the airplane as a carry-on. The temperature in the checked luggage area is not always controlled and may become too hot or cold.2

The Forteo device can be passed through the x-ray screening equipment at airports. A study demonstrated that x-ray radiation from screening equipment used in airport scanners did not impact the physical or chemical properties of Forteo.2

Enclosed Prescribing Information

FORTEO® (teriparatide injection), Lilly

References

1Forteo [package insert]. Indianapolis, IN: Eli Lilly and Company; 2021.

2Data on file, Eli Lilly and Company and/or one of its subsidiaries.

3Disabilities and Medical Conditions. Transportation Security Administration. Accessed November 28, 2023. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures

Date of Last Review: November 28, 2023

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