News
Current albuterol inhalers to be gone Dec. 31, replaced by non-polluting inhalers that taste and feel different in the mouth
Modern Medicine
One thing is certain: albuterol MDIs containing CFCs will no longer be manufactured, delivered, or sold in the United States after Dec. 31. Less clear is how smooth or rocky the long-anticipated transition will be for pharmacists and the millions of patients who use metered-dose albuterol inhalers.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said there is an adequate supply of the new, environmentally friendly inhalers, but some pharmacists are already complaining of shortages of the product. Others are concerned that poor lines of communication with doctors could hamper the process, as patients will need new prescriptions for an HFA albuterol MDI or the HFA levalbuterol MDI (Xopenex, Sepracor).
There is also the question of cost. The new HFA inhalers cost significantly more and have no cheaper generic equivalents, which means that patients will have to dig deeper into their pockets and retail pharmacists will be forced to deal with the backlash.
