Due to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the company that produces the highly famous corticosteroid inhalers known as Flovent HFA and Flovent Diskus, users will have to choose a different medication to manage their asthma by the year 2024. This is because GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has decided to stop manufacturing these inhalers.
GSK has stated that instead of creating a generic version that would be approved by the FDA, they would create a generic version using the same device design and formula.
Nevertheless, doctors are concerned that patients may have difficulty in procuring medication when their insurance companies do not cover the price of the newly approved generics in the event that their insurance companies do not cover them.
In a recent interview with CNN, Dr Robyn Cohen, associate professor of pediatric pulmonology at Boston Medical Center, said that inhaled steroid medications such as these have been the most commonly prescribed inhaled medicines for the last 25 or 30 years.
It is clear from Cohen’s statement that the discontinuation of the drug is going to be a big shock to the system for patients, for families, and for physicians as well.”
A doctor says that it might not be possible to switch from an existing product to an entirely new one for some patients.
Some insurance companies now offer alternatives such as Arnuity and Qvar, which are considered to be their preferred treatment options. However, Dr Christopher Oermann said in a news release from the American Academy of Pediatrics on Dec 8 that such alternative treatments are not appropriate for children as they require a certain level of breathing capacity to disperse the medication.
Patients of all ages, including those who are 4 years old and over, can use both the Flovent and its generic equivalent, according to GSK.
That news provided by timenews.
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