News tagged with 'Albuterol'

As of January 1, 2009, asthma inhalers containing chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellant will no longer be sold, in favor of environmentally safer hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) inhalers. The old inhalers are being phased out as a result of U.S. participation in the 1987 Montreal Protocol, an international treaty to ban substances that are damaging the earth’s ozone layer.

On Thursday, an FDA panel of experts will weigh whether to allow certain drugs to continue to be marketed for asthma treatment in adults and children amid lingering concerns that the products increase the risk of asthma-related deaths and side effects.

The continued use of four popular asthma drugs, including SereVent, increases risk of asthma-related deaths and asthma attacks, according to two federal drug officials. But not all regulators universally agree. This week the agency will convene a committee of experts to help reach an agreement.