There is some debate around the need to refrigerate botulinum toxin, with research by L. Parraga et al indicating that it could remain stable for 14 days at 25°C [77° F] and seven days at 30 °C [80° F].
This is good news in the event of a transportation breakdown or other unforeseen one-off incident that leaves toxin stores exposed to higher temperatures. However, it should not be the overriding factor which informs your everyday storage processes.
The long-term impact of inadequate storage of botulinum toxins remains unknown, so the risk of an inadequately stored product becoming unstable could increase over time. It is this unknown risk which should guide your storage practices if you want to deliver a best-practice service to your customers.
Best practice guidance is universal in stating that you should store your botulinum toxin in line with other cold-chain products, meaning it must be stored within a controlled temperature of between 2°C and 8°C, and never frozen.
This temperature range is guaranteed to keep the molecular structure of the toxin stable and prevent the development of harmful bacteria. A temperature which is too high (or too low) runs the risk of degrading the toxin over time, reducing its effectiveness as a muscle relaxant.
It is a common misconception that a standard domestic fridge is suitable for storing these highly sensitive – and expensive – products. This is not the case...
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