Old CFC Albuterol Inhalers To Be Removed From Market After Dec 31
Tuesday December 16, 2008
The ban on the old, CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) propellant-based inhalers will take effect in just a couple of weeks. After Dec 31, 2008, all prescription metered dose inhalers will contain HFA (hydrofluoroalkane) as a propellant. Despite HFA inhalers being more environmentally friendly, many people don't like the softer spray that these inhalers produce. Many of my patients feel that they don't get the same amount of medication that they received with the old CFC inhalers.
Unfortunately, there isn't much that a person can do. Of the 3 albuterol HFA inhalers on the market (none of which are generic), I think that Ventolin HFA produces the strongest spray, although this shouldn't be equated with the medication working better. If a person doesn't like any of the HFA inhalers, there's always Maxair Autohaler, which is a breath-actuated medication that works similar to albuterol and has a different type of propellant.
Read more about why your albuterol inhaler is about to change forever.
Comments
Do you have any information on other ingredients in the albuterol HFA propellants? I have read on a few sites that some of them may contain corn, sulfites, and ethanol, but the official literature does not list these. My son’s very stable asthma has taken a serious turn for the worse since switching to Proventil. I’m wondering if he reacted to something in the new propellant, (which we have discontinued using). Thanks.
the new hfa inhalers do not work as well “or better” than the old cfc ones. get the facts at our website and please sign the petition to bring back the old cfc inhalers.
http://www.savecfcinhalers.org
Jennifer Lee
The Campaign to Save CFC inhalers
Pharmacists and Doctors are learning more and more from their patients the the HFA’s are not effective and caused serious problems for asthmatics. More emergency room visits, even deaths. The FDA and the government has made a serious mistake by taking 40 million pulmonary diseased people and jeopardizing their lives. Shame on the US