On 30 June 2008 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a report on the worldwide switch from albuterol (salbutamol) inhalers containing CFCs to inhalers containing HFA.
Pat Clarke of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said albuterol inhalers using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) would no longer be used after 31 December 2008 and would be replaced by inhalers using hydrofluoroalkane (HFA).
Albuterol inhalers treat wheezing (bronchospasm) in people with obstructive airway disease, such as asthma and COPD, by pushing the medicine into the lungs as the patient breathes in. Three HFA albuterol inhalers are approved by the FDA: ProAir HFA, Proventil HFA and Ventolin HFA, as well as Xopenex HFA, which contains levalbuterol, a similar medicine. All four are safe, effective alternatives to CFC inhalers, and manufacturers have increased production so they are widely available.
HFA inhalers feel and taste quite different from CFC inhalers, and the spray is softer. They must be cleaned well to stop the inhaler clogging, which would stop the medicine reaching the lungs. Each inhaler has its own instructions for priming, cleaning and drying, so read and understand them before use.
The worldwide switch is due to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, under which the United States decided to stop making and importing CFC products. Many CFC inhalers for other medicines have already been withdrawn, and the rest will follow in coming years.
Like
Love
Angry
Dislike
