Traveling with Dupixent: Where the Storage Instructions Are Written, and What to Sort Out Before You Fly

This information is general and for convenience only, and it is not medical advice. Medication storage, temperatures and doses are set by your doctor, your pharmacist and the manufacturer's leaflet. Talk to a professional before making any decision.

Before you search, look at the box

Dupixent (active ingredient: dupilumab) is sold in Israel in two strengths, 200 mg and 300 mg, and in more than one type of device: a ready-to-use pen and a syringe. In the leaflets we found, each combination of strength and device type has its own patient leaflet.

This isn't about dosing, and we won't touch that. It's an identification label, like a model number: the strength and the device type are printed on the box, and without them it's easy to open the leaflet for a different product.

How to get to the leaflet

The official leaflets are published in the Israeli Ministry of Health Pharmaceutical Division drug database. In the search, you can type Dupixent, or the Hebrew name. On the result card, check that the strength and the device type match your box, and open the most recent patient leaflet.

The full method, step by step, is in our guide on how to find the official storage instructions for a medication that needs refrigeration.

What to read slowly in the storage section

The leaflet is long, but what you need is in just a few places. Three things that are easy to miss:

• There are two places to read, not one. The leaflet refers you to the "Instructions for Use" that come with it, including on storage. It's worth photographing both.
• What it says about taking the carton out of the fridge. That's exactly the part that matters for travel.
• Whether you're asked to record a date. The Dupixent leaflet has a request like this, and we don't quote it here. The practical meaning is that it's worth packing a marker.

What you won't find here

We won't write how long is allowed, we won't write what to do if the product went outside the range, and we won't write whether it's still usable.

We sell a cooled carrying case for medication. A number that appears on a website selling a fridge stops reading as a quote and starts reading as our instruction, and we have no qualification to give that kind of instruction. These are questions for the leaflet, your pharmacist and your doctor.

What to sort out before the flight

This part is in our lane. Three points that Clalit Health Services, an Israeli health fund, publishes, and they apply directly to anyone traveling with injections:

• A prescription. "Travelers carrying medication given by syringe or pump, such as insulin, must show a prescription for the medication to representatives of the security authorities at the airport."
• Original packaging. "Airport security guidelines require medication to be kept in its original packaging." And that's handy for another reason too: the strength and the device type are printed on the box, and that's exactly what you need to find the right leaflet. Our tip: if the boxes take up a lot of space, the medication and syringes stay in their intact sealed plastic cover, and at least one original box, folded or cut down, goes in your bag to show at screening. That's our idea, not an official guideline.
• Hand luggage. "It's preferable to keep medication in your hand luggage and not in the suitcase sent to the hold."

Source: Clalit Health Services, medication to take abroad (Hebrew)

More about the screening itself is in our article on flying from Israel with refrigerated medication, and a full list of what to pack is in the packing checklist for patients traveling abroad. And if you'd like a doctor's letter too, we wrote about what to ask to have in a doctor's letter for flying.

Questions that keep coming up

Where are the storage instructions for Dupixent written?

In the patient leaflet, in section 5, "How to store the medication?", and in the "Instructions for Use" booklet that comes with it. You can also find the leaflet in the Israeli Ministry of Health drug database, by the strength and device type on your box.

How long can Dupixent be out of the fridge?

We don't write that, because it isn't our knowledge. The answer is written in your product's patient leaflet, and you can ask your pharmacist or your doctor.

What do I need to fly with Dupixent?

Under Clalit's guidance, anyone carrying medication given by syringe must show a prescription to the security authorities at the airport, the medication should be in its original packaging, and it's preferable to carry it in your hand luggage and not in your suitcase.

Is there one leaflet for every type of Dupixent?

No. In the leaflets we found, each combination of strength and device type has its own leaflet. So check what's printed on your box first, and only then open the leaflet.

The logistics side of a long trip

Once the question is how to hold the cooling range throughout the trip, without hunting for a hotel fridge and without guessing what's happening inside a cooler bag, it's an equipment question, not a medical one: a medication cooler with ice packs, or an electric medication cooler that plugs in.

The Secrets Box by Practi, an electric medication cooler, plugs into a wall outlet, a power bank or a USB adapter for the car's lighter socket, stays within 2 to 8°C (36 to 46°F) as long as it is plugged in, and while plugged in, shows the temperature on a digital display. The power bank and the car adapter are sold separately and are not included in the box. It needs 10W of power, and a power bank of 20,000mAh or more is recommended. There's no disconnect alert, so check the connection now and then. Want to check whether your pen or syringe fits in the container? Look it up in the pens list.

See the product page · Read next: Medication cooler bag or portable fridge?

How this article was written. We gathered this information from public sources online and brought it together in one place. We are not a medical body, we have no medical or pharmacy qualification, and no medical professional has gone over this article.

Accurate as of the update date shown at the top of this article. Information may change. Security procedures, airline guidelines, medication leaflets and product specifications change from time to time, and the information here may no longer be up to date. It is the reader's responsibility to verify every detail with the official source before acting on it.

This article is general information, not medical advice. For questions about your medication, talk to your pharmacist or doctor. It contains no recommendation on medication storage, dose, method of use or how long a medication stays usable. The only sources for those questions are your medication's patient leaflet, your pharmacist and your doctor. Responsibility for storing and using the medication lies solely with the user and their healthcare provider. The Secrets Box is a cooled carrying case for medication and is not a medical device.