U.S. hospitals, nursing homes, and pharmacies—the latter by federal and state mandate—dump billions of dollars' worth of old medications every year; but much of that waste could be eliminated by changing the way expiration dates are established. The timeline currently is about 2–3 years out, or roughly how long manufacturers believe a product will hold up over time and under stress. Passing this date does not necessarily mean the medicine is suddenly ineffective—it simply means that FDA and manufacturers no longer guarantee its efficacy. Both government and private testing, however, have demonstrated that many "expired" drugs are indeed stable, potent, and viable long beyond their indicated shelf life. Despite this realization, pharmaceutical industry representatives say it is more important to protect patient safety. Pharmacists and researchers, however, point out that drug makers benefit financially when new orders are made to replace expired medications. With drug costs already high and still rising, the cry for a change is growing louder. The American Medical Association is among the organizations that have pressed for a new approach that can save waste as well as preserve inventories of precious medicines in short supply. "FDA will have to take the lead for a solution to emerge," says Ajaz Hussain, president of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education, who also has advocated for reexamination of drug expiration dates. "We are throwing away products that are certainly stable, and we need to do something about it."