Traveling with chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis can be challenging, and even more so when your life and wellness depend on refrigerated medications.

Enbrel (etanercept) is a prescription medication used to treat various autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, plaque psoriasis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and in some cases Crohn’s disease.

While refrigerating your Enbrel injectable pens or syringes is relatively simple at home, it gets more complicated when you're away or traveling. Traveling with Enbrel or any other refrigerated medications requires good organization and an efficient cooling solution.

4AllFamily Travel Coolers and Portable Fridges for Medications, TSA-approved

Related article: 8 great tips for traveling with rheumatoid arthritis

How to Keep Enbrel cool while traveling?

Like any biological product or biopharmaceutical, Enbrel is highly heat-sensitive and can quickly spoil when not stored at the right temperatures.

Similarly, most similar injectable drugs used for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, including Humira, Actemra, Cimzia, Orencia, Simponi, Taltz, Kevzara, or Cosentyx require precise storage conditions and temperatures.  

Regarding Enbrel more specifically, Immunex Corporation, its manufacturer says that it must be stored at fridge temperature (2°C-8°C / 36°F-46°F). Once your Enbrel pen or syringe has been taken out of the fridge, they must be used within 30 days maximum. During that time, Enbrel should be kept at room temperature (20°C-25°C / 68°F-77°F). In any case, Etanercept must never be exposed to temperatures over 25°C / 77°F and should also be protected from light.

These rigorous storage instructions can make traveling with Enbrel arduous. Whether you're flying, going on a road trip, spending a day at the bead, or simply going down the block, you need to keep your unopened Enbrel pens refrigerated and your open ones protected from the outside heat. The best solution available to you is to use a medical-grade travel cooler.

4AllFamily Enbrel Travel Bags and Cases

4AllFamily specializes in offering high-quality reliable portable coolers for people traveling with refrigerated and heat-sensitive medicines like Enbrel.

Our product range is wide enough so everyone can find the most convenient solution to keep their medications safe while traveling. It goes from the smallest pocket-size cooler to the highest performing one that can keep your Enbrel pen at fridge temperature for up to 52 hours on battery or forever if plugged into a power source (when the outside temperature is at 86°F / 30°C). 

All our coolers are TSA-approved for airplane travel so you can board with your valuable medicines. Depending on the models, they work with simple biogel freeze packs, USB power, or both.

Portable cooling cases for medications

If you have any doubt about which of our coolers would be the most convenient choice for you, do not doubt and write to us. We'd be happy to advise you!

Flying with Enbrel

Flying with medications is stressful for most of us, and even more so when your drugs are liquid, involve needles, and need to stay refrigerated like Enbrel.

However, millions of people fly every day with their refrigerated injectable medications and they're doing just fine! The Transportation Security Administration is well aware of these particular situations and the guidelines are pretty clear:  

  • Liquid injectable medicines are allowed on the plane
  • You’re allowed to fly with needles and syringes
  • You can bring as much medication as you need

Never pack your Enbrel pens or syringes in your checked luggage. Hazardous temperature and atmospheric conditions in the hold could damage your meds. Always pack your medicine in your carry-on and keep the original containers so the screening agents can identify them without difficulty.

Related article: Flying with Arthritis, How to Prepare for Long-Haul Flights!

Traveling overseas with Enbrel

Traveling with medications internationally is another scenario that raises worries. What documents should you bring? What about customs at the arrival? Can you buy Enbrel at your destination if you run out of it? Will your travel insurance policy cover the costs of an incident related to your pre-existing medical condition?

Here’s a series of articles that may help you find the answers to all your questions:

 

May 13, 2022

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