FDA bans CFCs in some inhalers from next year
Health officials are banning the only asthma inhaler sold over the counter in the United States starting from next year to prevent the use of products that harm the environment.
The Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in metered-dose asthma inhalers that contain the drug epinephrine cannot be used, following an international agreement that bans CFCs because they deplete the Earth's ozone layer.
Right now, the only such inhaler is marketed by Armstrong Pharmaceuticals, a unit of Amphastar. The company could not be immediately reached for comment.
The inhaler, called Primatene Mist, is used for temporary relief of occasional symptoms of mild asthma, and is the only FDA-approved inhaler sold over the counter without a prescription, the FDA said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/22/us-fda-inhalers-idUSTRE78L3NL20110922
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