Change of Asthma Inhalers Boosts Prices

A U.S. government-mandated shift to ozone-friendly inhalers for asthma may create shortages, forcing sufferers to buy more expensive prescription medications.

Production of the older versions of inhalers declined even before producers of the new inhalers fully ramp up. Because the new inhalers are covered by patents, they command high prices — $30 to $60 each compared with as little as $5 to $25 for the older generic versions.

By the end of 2008 — the federal deadline for phasing out albuterol inhalers that use an ozone-depleting propellant gas — the nation’s annual cost for the inhalers could be $1 billion higher than now, The New York Times reported.

For people with drug insurance, price increases may be less a concern than occasional spot shortages of the devices.

Asthma is a disease disproportionately found among low-income people, possibly because they could be exposed to dirtier air. About 6.4 percent of children in families with income below the poverty level had at least one asthma attack a year, compared with 5.4 percent of all children, according to a federal survey a few years ago. Asthma prevalence is particularly high among blacks.