How to Travel Safely with Actemra: Storage, Refrigeration Tips, and What to Do If It’s Left Out of the Fridge

Quick Answer: Actemra can be kept out of the fridge for up to 8 hours, as long as it stays below 30°C (86°F). After that, it may spoil and should not be used. Always store it in a medical cooler when traveling to keep it safe and effective.

Actemra (Tocilizumab) is an FDA-approved prescription medication used for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions. It's a biological product that quickly spoils if exposed to high temperatures or too much light.

If you've been prescribed Actemra, you've probably already been told that you need to take some precautions to properly store your medicine and prevent it from going bad.

Some patients are administered Actemra by infusion. In that case, your healthcare providers will take care of storing the solution at the right temperatures for you. But if you're using prefilled syringes of Actemra or ACTPen autoinjectors for subcutaneous injections at home, your medication needs to be kept in the refrigerator and protected from light.

• So, how exactly should you store Actemra at home?
• What happens if it's left out of the fridge?
• Can you travel with your Actemra injections and how to keep your syringes and pens refrigerated while on the road?

Related article: 8 Great tips for traveling with Psoriatic and Rheumatoid Arthritis

What are the ideal storage conditions for Actemra?

Actemra may be prescribed for the symptomatic treatment of various chronic health conditions including moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Sclerosis with Early Interstitial Lung Disease (SSc-ILD), Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA), Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (PJIA), and Systemic Juvenal Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA). Research is currently conducted on whether or not Actemra could also help with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Crohn's Disease (CD).

Like similar injectable biological drugs such as Humira, Enbrel, Orencia, Cimzia, Simponi, Taltz, Kevzara, or Cosentyx, Actemra needs to be kept refrigerated.

Actemra must be stored in the fridge

Actemra is a biologic drug, also referred to as a biological or biopharmaceutical drug. Biologics are human-made drugs:

• Obtained from living organisms

• Or containing components of living organisms (mostly from humans, animals, or plants)

Biologic medications usually target the immune system to help treat or relieve chronic conditions caused by a dysfunction of the immune system. They're widely used in conditions like arthritis and can considerably help:

• Decrease inflammation

• Relieve other symptoms

However, like any drugs that interfere with the immune system, biologics like Actemra can also have serious side effects.

One particularity of biological drugs like Actemra, Humira, or Enbrel, for example, is that-because they come from living sources-they're highly sensitive to:

• Heat

• Freezing temperatures

• Light exposure

According to Genentech, the manufacturer of Actemra, you must:

• "Keep your unused syringes in the original carton"

• "Keep in the refrigerator at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C)"

• Do not freeze

Before injecting, you must allow the autoinjector or syringe to:

• Sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes

Now, that's easy at home-but what happens if you're traveling with Actemra?

• How long can your prefilled syringes and autoinjector pens be left out of the fridge without deteriorating?

Related article: Arthritis Travel Insurance, How to Make Sure You're Covered?

Travels & Excursions with Actemra

According to the manufacturer, "Once removed from the refrigerator, Actemra must be administered within 8 hours and should not be kept above 30°C (86°F)." Actemra is probably one of the biological drugs with the highest temperature sensitivity, and 8 hours is a very short window.

When administered subcutaneously, Actemra is generally taken at a dose of 162 mg once every week or once every two weeks. But what if your next injection falls during a trip away from home?

• How are you supposed to keep Actemra refrigerated on a 12-hour flight to Hong Kong?

• How can you keep it cool under the sun in places like Mexico?

It's not just a matter of temperature-it's a matter of health. If not stored correctly, your prefilled syringes or ACTPen autoinjectors:

• Can quickly spoil

• May become contaminated

• Are no longer safe to use

If you suspect your Actemra has gone bad, do not inject it. Instead, immediately discard the pen or syringe and use a new one from the fridge.

Of course, that's easier said than done when you're far from home and don't have easy access to a refrigerator.

Fortunately, reliable tools do exist to help ensure that anyone who depends on refrigerated medications like Actemra can continue to travel safely and confidently.

Actemra Travel Cooler from 4AllFamily

The best solution to keep Actemra refrigerated when traveling is to use a medical-grade travel cooler for refrigerated medications. There are not many on the market. 4AllFamily specializes in travel-size fridges for temperature-sensitive drugs. Our products are designed to keep your meds safe and cool in all conditions.

Related article: 10 Great Anti-inflammatory Snacks for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Keep Actemra refrigerated for multiple days with or without electricity!

4AllFamily's product line is large enough so you can find the best travel cooler for your Actemra pens and prefilled syringes.

Depending on your needs, lifestyle, and travels, you can refrigerate Actemra using biogel icepacks or USB power. The biogel icepack cooling solution is ideal for people who are traveling in conditions where they won't have access to electricity (camping trips, hikes, or others).

On the contrary, if you have electricity, the USB-power refrigerating solution is made for you. You can plug your medical cooler into any kind of power source including of course household power but also a car cigarette lighter, a portable power bank, or even a travel-size solar panel!

TSA-approved medical coolers for air travel

Flying with injectable medicines can be stressful and even more so when your drugs need to stay refrigerated. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has special rules for people traveling with medications and expressly states that "medications in liquid form are allowed on carry-on bags in excess of 3.4 ounces in reasonable quantities for the flight".

Besides, all the medical travel coolers from 4AllFamily are TSA-approved so you can legally board the plane with your Actemra pens or syringes refrigerated!

Related article: Flying With Arthritis, How to Prepare for Long-Haul Flights?

📌 Key Takeaways:

• 🧊 Actemra must be refrigerated between 2°C and 8°C (36°F-46°F) and should never be frozen or exposed to direct light.

• ⏱️ Once out of the fridge, Actemra must be used within 8 hours and kept below 30°C (86°F), making it one of the most temperature-sensitive biologics.

• 🧳 Traveling with Actemra requires planning-use TSA-approved medical travel coolers (biogel or USB-powered) to maintain safe storage conditions on the go.

• 💉 Improper storage can spoil the medication, making it unsafe for use; spoiled syringes or autoinjectors must be discarded immediately.

• 🌍 With the right tools, patients can safely travel with Actemra and maintain their treatment schedule without compromising safety or efficacy.

💬 We'd Love to Hear From You!

We hope this article has helped you out. Should you have any further doubts about traveling with Actemra, please do not hesitate to ask and comment in the section below.