The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required that production stop on all prescription albuterol inhalers at the end of 2008. Albuterol inhalers contain a prescription drug that is used by asthma patients in order to control the symptoms of respiratory distress associated with asthma.
The chemical commonly used in albuterol inhalers called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC’s, has been found to cause serious damage to Earth’s ozone layer. CFC’s are used to propel the asthma drug into the patient’s lungs.
The United States agreed to stop importing substances known to cause damage to the ozone layer per a settlement between the Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The settlement includes CFC’s. Due to the settlement, inhalers that contain CFC’s cannot be manufactured or sold in the United States as of December 31, 2008.
New inhalers will be supplied to patients that utilize hydrofluoroalkanes, or HFAs, to propel the drug into the lungs. The FDA has approved the use of a variety of new inhalers, including Proventil HFA Inhalation Aerosol, ProAir HFA Inhalation Aerosol, Ventolin HFA Inhalation Aerosol in addition to Xopenex HFA Inhalation Aerosol, which uses levalbuterol.
The new alternatives have been approved by the FDA and are considered safe for those who will be switching from inhalers with CFC. The approved inhalers will taste and feel different to those who are making the switch.
Each new inhaler has a new set of priming, cleaning and drying instructions that should be following in order to keep the medicine from building up in the inhaler. If the medicine is allowed to build up, the proper amount will not reach the lungs. The new inhalers that utilize HFA may feel softer than the CFC inhalers.
Manufacturers of the HFA inhalers have begun to increase production in anticipation of the switch. The FDA is urging asthma patients to talk with their doctors in order to determine a proper course of action concerning medication.
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