Relax: Asthma Inhalers NOT being banned...
(Just Primatene Mist, everything else remains available...)
I saw this headline in the Weekly Standard late Friday evening...
Obama Administration Set to Ban Asthma Inhalers Over Environmental Concerns
...Quite the bummer for yours truly as I've used an inhaler for years, since I was first diagnosed with asthma back in the late 1980's. This sound fishy to me, so I started digging. Something wasn't right. (Maybe Obama thinks only Conservatives use inhalers perhaps?)
The gist of the article, which you should read for yourself, is that the Obama Administration has decided to ban asthma inhalers in order to save the ozone. Not until their second paragraph do they indicate that the only effected inhalers are those sold over the counter or OTC. That's an important detail. The headline doesn't suggest that only one kind of inhaler is effected by this. The implication is that Obama is banning ALL inhalers to save the ozone while we asthmatics start wheezing to death.
It involves only those inhalers with chloroflourocarbons, which are known to deplete the ozone layer. The only such inhaler with chloroflourocarbons still available is Armstrong Lab's Primatene Mist. The more popular inhalers, typically prescribed by physicians use an environmentally friendly propellant called hydrofluoroalkane. If you've filled an inhaler prescription in the last few years for a respiratory ailment, you've used an eco-friendly inhaler.
This effected a number of different products. Another commonly known example is the change freon underwent in our AC units...
I want to address the issue of the headline's claim that President Obama is behind this effort.
He's not. This goes all the way back to an initial meeting in Helsinki, Finland in 1987 aiming to address the issue of ozone depletion. A resulting agreement, the Montreal Protocol, was signed by by 196 countries, including the United States. Former President Ronald Reagan endorsed this effort. Mr. Reagan felt strongly enough about it that he wrote the following letter to the Senate asking for a favorable action:
Letter from Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Senate:
"THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release December 21, 1987
To the Senate of the United States:
I transmit herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, done at Montreal on September 16, 1987. The report of the Department of State is also enclosed for the information of the Senate.
The Montreal Protocol provides for internationally coordinated control of ozone-depleting substances in order to protect public health and the environment from potential adverse effects of depletion of stratospheric ozone. The Protocol was negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program, pursuant to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, which was ratified by the United States in August 1986.
In this historic agreement, the international community undertakes cooperative measures to protect a vital global resource. The United States played a leading role in the negotiation of the Protocol. United States ratification is necessary for entry into force and effective implementation of the Protocol. Early ratification by the United States will encourage similar action by other nations whose participation is also essential.
I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to the Protocol and give its advice and consent to ratification.
Ronald Reagan The White House December 21, 1987"
There is scientific evidence that the effort has produced good results as there seems to be a correlation between the reduction of CFC's entering into the atmosphere and the recovery of the ozone layer itself.
To review, prescription inhalers are not effected by this at all and will continue to be available as usual. This, we see, was not a project of the current administration, but that of a Republican President almost twenty-five years ago.
The headline by the TWS is misleading. They should adjust it...
For anyone who does use Primatene Mist...
The FDA has plenty of information here and here on how to move forward and explore different options...
I'm not a doctor but...
The packaging for Primatene Mist specifically tells purchasers to only use this product if you've been diagnosed by a physician, aren't being treated for other conditions and follow the directions carefully. There's been some remarks on RW talk radio already and on the internet this weekend that people who won't be able to buy PM anymore won't be able to treat their asthma anymore. That's wrong. Utterly. According to an article in Chest, the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, "
the occasional use of OTC epinephrine inhalers appears to be safe and effective when used according to labeled instruction by individuals with only mild, intermittent disease."
The article also states that people that use OTC inhalers like PM shouldn't be using them, and should actually be on some other medication and under the care of a physician. This is supported by the company's warnings on its packaging. I suspect that a certain number of users are self diagnosing and self medicating, which is usually risky business. Since everything "official" instructs people to be seen by a doctor before using PM, I'd echo that sentiment as well.
PM is a rescue inhaler. Its not a maintenance drug. Commonly, people diagnosed with breathing issues will be on a combination of medications. Go see a doctor and get any concerns checked out.
I can't afford a prescription inhaler...
There are several options available to a person with financial hardships. From the FDA release:
Help With Payment
Replacement medicines for Primatene Mist may cost more. If it is hard for you to pay for a new medicine:
- Talk to your health care professional about programs that help patients get medicines they need.
- Contact the company that makes the drug that your health care professional prescribes. The company may have a patient-assistance program that makes medicines available to patients at low or no cost.
- Visit free local clinics and public hospitals for additional assistance with your medications.
In summary...
1) Only Primatene Mist inhalers are effected by the regulation...all previously prescribed inhalers will continue to be available.
2) If you use Primatene Mist, ask your doctor for his advice on what to replace it with.
3) This was not an Obama thing...it goes back to President Reagan...
Sources:
