Millions of Americans could soon be forced to live without life-saving drugs after a pharmaceutical giant announced it would pull its drug from store shelves.
Flovent, the most prescribed inhaler for people with asthma, will no longer be available in pharmacies from January 1.
The drug's manufacturer, GSK, announced it would discontinue its branded inhaler and create an “authorized generic” version.
The generic drug will be an identical version of the brand Flovent, which is taken daily to help prevent asthmatic symptoms, GSK said.
About 27 million Americans suffer from asthma – and the majority rely on Flovent to prevent attacks that could land them in the hospital
The drug's manufacturer, GSK, announced it would discontinue its branded inhaler and create an “authorized generic” version.
However, doctors have warned that patients may struggle to access the alternative because insurers are not required to cover generic versions of some drugs.
It means some patients may have to wait for an entirely new prescription.
Healthcare experts have also criticized the timing of the drugmaker's policy change, saying the switch comes just as respiratory viruses, which can be fatal to asthmatics, are on the rise across the country.
Dr. Robyn Cohen, director of the Pediatric Pulmonary and Allergy Clinic at Boston Medical Center, told CNN that Flovent has been the most widely used inhaler for nearly three decades.
Flovent is the most commonly prescribed inhaler, but from January 1 patients will no longer have access to it
She said: 'It is the drug that pediatricians overwhelmingly turn to when they decide their patient needs daily preventive medication…
“The fact that it is being discontinued will be a huge shock to the system, to patients, to families and to doctors.”
In addition, patients who have been taking the drug for years may no longer be able to fill prescriptions due to insurers' reluctance to cover the new type of drug.
This could leave them vulnerable during a dangerous tripledemic of flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid hitting America.
Flovent is intended to be taken daily as a preventative for people with asthma. It helps stop swelling of the airways, making it easier for patients to breathe, and reduces the body's response to triggers that can make breathing difficult.
These triggers include colds and flu, making medication more important now than ever.
So far in the 2023-2024 season, there have been nearly 10 million flu cases, 110,000 hospitalizations due to the flu and as many as 9,500 flu deaths, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
There has been a 13 percent increase in positive flu tests and hospitalizations for flu are increasing, with 9,900 people admitted to hospitals this week.
The figures have increased by five percent for all respiratory diseases.
The number of doctor visits for respiratory diseases is increasing among all age groups, but is highest in children under the age of four.
Emergency department visits due to Covid have increased by almost seven percent in the past week and admissions have increased by more than 10 percent. Deaths from Covid have risen by three percent.
Nearly 27 million Americans suffer from asthma and it is the leading cause of chronic illness in children.
Asthma is a long-term disease that causes inflammation and swelling of the airways, leading to a narrowing of the passageway that carries air from the nose and mouth to the lungs.
Symptoms include difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and chest pain.
There is no cure for the disease, but daily medications to control symptoms, as well as certain lifestyle changes, can help prevent potentially life-threatening complications.
Although most asthma patients can go about their daily lives normally, some patients with severe forms of the disease are at risk of fatal flare-ups or asthma attacks.
During an asthma attack, the lining of the airways becomes severely inflamed, mucus clogs the airways and the muscles around the airways tighten, making it difficult and stressful to breathe.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that in 2021, the latest available data, 9.8 million people had an asthma attack, including 1.8 million children and 8 million adults.
And every day in the US, 5,000 people visit the emergency room for asthma and 11 people die.