Originally published February 23 2006
FDA panel issues vote against nonprescription asthma inhalers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Due to the damage done to the ozone by asthma inhalers, an FDA advisory panel recently voted in favor of banning nonprescription inhalers, to cut back on the release of propellants that harm the ozone.
--- Asthma sufferers may not be able to buy nonprescription inhalers much longer because the devices contain propellants that harm the ozone layer.
An advisory panel voted 11-7 Tuesday to recommend that the Food and Drug Administration remove the "essential use" status that Primatene Mist and other similar nonprescription inhalers require to be sold, spokeswoman Laura Alvey said.
Final revocation of that status would mean a de facto ban on their sale.
The FDA usually follows the advice of its outside panels of experts, though a decision can take months.
If the agency opts to follow the recommendation, it would begin a rulemaking process that would include public comment, Alvey said.
Wyeth Consumer Healthcare estimates that 3 million Americans use Primatene Mist for mild or intermittent cases of asthma, spokesman Fran Sullivan said.
About 700,000 asthma sufferers use Primatene alone because they can't get a prescription or lack health insurance, he said.
The drug opens air passages to the lungs to relieve temporarily wheezing, shortness of breath and troubled breathing, according to the FDA.
The over-the-counter inhalers proposed to be banned contain the drug epinephrine along with chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which propel the medicine into the lungs of asthmatics.
CFCs were long used as aerosol propellants in a variety of products but are being phased out because they harm the Earth's protective ozone layer.
In March, the FDA said inhalers using CFCs to dispense the prescription drug albuterol would be banned at the end of 2008.
On Tuesday, Wyeth asked that the FDA stay any such ban on Primatene Mist until it is ready to market an approved CFC-free version, said its representative, Dr. Sumon Wason.
Wyeth hopes to have such an inhaler ready for sale in 2009 or 2010, Wason added.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml