Popular asthma inhaler Flovent was discontinued. Pediatricians are still scrambling for solutions
BOSTON – Families have been left scrambling in recent months after a lifesaving asthma inhaler was taken off the market at the beginning of the year.
Flovent HFA and Flovent Diskus, treatments that many young families with young children depend on, were discontinued by manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) starting on January 1. In their place, the biopharmaceutical company said it would produce a generic version of the prescription inhaler.
The problem is the generic version is more expensive and many insurance companies will not cover it.
Dr. Mark Blumenthal, a Massachusetts pediatrician, said there are not many other options for young patients suffering from severe asthma.
He said it's forced some to instead turn to nebulizers, which are not as practical because they are not as portable and take longer to use.
"It's been very difficult for my practice, and really I think for all of us pediatricians to figure out what to do," he said. "If this particular brand will be covered, that's great. If it is, it's still very high priced and often a third tier, so the patients will have to pay more," Blumenthal said. "I've had several instances where the insurance will not cover this, and then these kids under five are left with no other solution except for nebulizer. It's very concerning, and it's really made it difficult to care for our patients. It's very poor care for our pediatric patients."
Just Monday, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren blasted GSK for what she called a price-gouging strategy that is putting children at risk. She is demanding answers from the company soon.