CVS Accused of Selling Expired Lactaid

A Houston television station has reported that the CVS pharmacy chain, the largest retail drug store chain in the country with almost 7000 stores, was selling products as much as three years past their expiration date.

An organization created by a coalition of labor unions, Change to Win, did a survey of 34 Houston area CVS stores that:

revealed that 90 percent of the stores visited were selling everything from expired dairy products and infant formula to over the counter meds for adults and children.

"That's the highest rate we've seen out of anywhere in the country," said [Garrett O’Connor of Change to Win].

He says the products expired anywhere from a few months ago to a few years. He cited a particular drug called Lactaid.

"They don’t even make this box any more. It expired November of 2005 and it was purchased in April of 2009," said O’Connor.

The television station revisited three of the stores and found that expired products were still on the shelves.

Expired Lactaid would not be dangerous but would likely lose its potency and effectiveness.

This is a reminder to always check the expiration date of any over-the-counter medication before you buy it.