Primatene Mist going away

 

The FDA is currently making a determiniation on permanently banning the Primatene mist.  The Primatene mist is the only over the counter asthma inhaler treatment available.  They do not and will not have an over the counter replacement available for it.  Many low income and elderly asthma patients who can't afford prescription medicine may have to suffer in silence.  If you are as passionate about saving the Primatene mist inhaler like I am, please send your comments to the following: 

FDA will accept WRITTEN comments (no e-mail comments) through
11/19/07.

PLEASE send comments opposing this to the FDA.

The letter must include the following information:
Docket No. 2007N-0262 and RIN number 0910-AF92

They can be mailed to:

Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852

Any idea why they're doing this? For some of us with sulfite allergy, this is terrible!

Thanks,

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-Razzle

Hi Razzle,
The FDA and the EPA have decided to ban the CFC propellant in the prescription generic form of the Albuterol inhaler. It will no longer be available as of 12/31/08. The FDA / EPA felt that the CFC released by the inhaler could potentially damage the ozone, although there were no reports linking asthma inhalers and damage to the ozone layers.

They are now trying to ban the Primatene mist as well because it uses the same CFC propellant. It is so sad for asthma patients because although there is a replacement for the prescription albuterol inhaler, however it is no longer generic. It also does not work. There are three to four different brands and hundreds have tried all with a CFC-free propellant and they are unable to get relief from their asthma symptoms. Please see petition to bring back CFC inhalers here: http://tinyurl.com/yphmp4

My concern with a product like Primatene is with self-diagnosis, to which many people are very prone. I worry about something like this being OTC because I fear many people might buy it instead of getting diagnosed, possibly allowing potentially serious illness to progress while they treat only a symptom of it, rather than the illness itself.

There are options available for low income people and those without insurance... they are just harder to find, and we need to make sure people know about them, and help people to find them. People are much better served by having their health monitored by a doctor rather than simply buying an OTC inhaler, in my opinion.

Community health centers are good sources for free or low cost medical care (often charged on a pay as you can sliding scale, when cost is applicable) and major retailers like WalMart and Target have many common drugs (including asthma meds like Albuterol) available for 4 dollars, even without prescription.

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HealingWell.com HIV/AIDS Forum Moderator

Rebuttal ;)

1. When one is too poor to afford meds but too wealthy to qualify for any assistance, what do they do to treat their Asthma?  For these people, going to the doctor to get a prescription may be sufficiently expensive to "break the piggy bank" and thus leave nothing for the cost of prescribed treatment.
2. Primatine mist is usually comparably inexpensive (vs. the $4 rx at Walmart - and not all towns have a Walmart or Target).
3. Some doctors prescribe OTC meds because they're usually less expensive than prescription meds. Mine does.
4. Approx. 5% (estimated figure from FDA's website; actual numbers are most likely higher given the increasing numbers of Asthma cases and the usual underestimation of conditions which are difficult to prove/diagnose - Sulfite Sensitivity has no "gold standard" diagnosis and is often not considered in the list of triggers for Asthma and other sensitivity reactions) of Asthmatics are sensitive to a preservative called Sulfites. Primatene Mist is a sulfite-free way to treat a sulfite-reaction. If this method of treatment goes away, the ONLY treatments for those with this sensitivity will either be available by prescription only (thus more expensive and more difficult to get, especially given how few MD's actually acknowledge the existance of Sulfite Sensitivity - but the FDA DOES acknowledge the existance of it) OR even less well controlled OTC nutritional supplements (Vitamin B12).

My $.02...

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-Razzle

I agree with you Razzle.  What most people don't realize is that the Generic Albuterol Inhaler is going away as well.  This is prescription and the government has decided to ban this too.  Now people that have been paying generic prices for years must figure out a way to afford these new inhalers that don't work very well at all.  I am sorry about your sulfite allergy situation, it seems that the government puts the environment above all else.

Following is a link to a petition to save CFC inhalers:

http://tinyurl.com/yphmp4

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Moderator, Allergies/Asthma