Asthma Patients Advised to Switch from CFC to HFA Inhalers Soon
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, May 30, 2008
With a ban on inhalers containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) going into effect at the end of the year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an advisory encouraging asthma patients who use such inhalers to consider switching now.
In issuing its advisory, the FDA warned that patients are likely to experience a learning curve when switching to a HFA inhaler. HFA inhalers often taste different, feel softer and must be cleaned in a specific way to avoiding clogging. As a result, the FDA advised patients to take the time to talk to their doctor and learn about HFA inhalers now, before they may need to use them.
CFCs were once the dominant propellant in inhalers that asthma patients use to self-administer medicine. However, several years ago the government banned CFC-containing products because of the damage CFCs were shown to cause to the Earth’s ozone layer. The government did provide a multi-year phase-in of the ban for products like inhalers, and a number of different inhalers that utilize ozone-friendly hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs) have sine been developed.
To read the entire advisory, visit: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/albuterol_cfc.htm