Environmental Concerns Led to Jump in Cost of Asthma Inhalers: Study
Environmental Concerns Led to Jump in Cost of Asthma Inhalers: Study
By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Federal action to protect the ozone layer has resulted in a dramatic increase in the cost of asthma inhalers in recent years, according to a new study.
In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned asthma inhalers containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), substances that contribute to the depletion of ozone in the upper atmosphere.
Immediately following the ban, the mean cost of asthma inhalers rose from $13.60 per prescription in 2004 to $25 in 2009, said lead study author Dr. Anupam Jena, an assistant professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
"We're talking about -- at its peak -- a 100 percent increase, a doubling of out-of-pocket costs," Jena said.
The cost of asthma inhalers decreased slightly in the following months, dropping to an average $21 by the end of 2010, Jena said. Their price has hovered around that level ever since.
Prices for the inhalers exploded because manufacturers swapped out established and cheap generic CFC inhalers for more expensive brand-name inhalers containing hydrofluoroalkane (HFA), Jena said.
Both CFC and HFA serve as a propellant to send medication deep into the lungs of people with asthma. The asthma medication contained in both types of inhaler looked at in this study is albuterol, which improves breathing by causing the airways to dilate.
Asthma attacks cause a person's airways to constrict, making it difficult to draw breath and causing wheezing, coughing and chest tightness. Inhalers containing albuterol are often referred to as "rescue" devices because they bring near-instant relief of these symptoms.
The price hike was tied to a slight decline in the use of asthma inhalers, researchers found. The decline amounted to about 5 percent, related to an average $10 in patient out-of-pocket expenses.
"This is a set of medications that patients with asthma really need to use," Jena said. "That's perhaps why we didn't see a large decline in utilization, even though the out-of-pocket cost went up considerably."
The researchers also did not see an increase in hospitalizations due to asthma, likely because most people ate the extra cost and continued to buy and use inhalers, he said. However, the study authors added that it's not clear what effect the increased cost might have had for people without insurance.
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Federal action to protect the ozone layer has resulted in a dramatic increase in the cost of asthma inhalers in recent years, according to a new study.
In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned asthma inhalers containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), substances that contribute to the depletion of ozone in the upper atmosphere.
Immediately following the ban, the mean cost of asthma inhalers rose from $13.60 per prescription in 2004 to $25 in 2009, said lead study author Dr. Anupam Jena, an assistant professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
"We're talking about -- at its peak -- a 100 percent increase, a doubling of out-of-pocket costs," Jena said.
The cost of asthma inhalers decreased slightly in the following months, dropping to an average $21 by the end of 2010, Jena said. Their price has hovered around that level ever since.
Prices for the inhalers exploded because manufacturers swapped out established and cheap generic CFC inhalers for more expensive brand-name inhalers containing hydrofluoroalkane (HFA), Jena said.
Both CFC and HFA serve as a propellant to send medication deep into the lungs of people with asthma. The asthma medication contained in both types of inhaler looked at in this study is albuterol, which improves breathing by causing the airways to dilate.
Asthma attacks cause a person's airways to constrict, making it difficult to draw breath and causing wheezing, coughing and chest tightness. Inhalers containing albuterol are often referred to as "rescue" devices because they bring near-instant relief of these symptoms.
The price hike was tied to a slight decline in the use of asthma inhalers, researchers found. The decline amounted to about 5 percent, related to an average $10 in patient out-of-pocket expenses.
"This is a set of medications that patients with asthma really need to use," Jena said. "That's perhaps why we didn't see a large decline in utilization, even though the out-of-pocket cost went up considerably."
The researchers also did not see an increase in hospitalizations due to asthma, likely because most people ate the extra cost and continued to buy and use inhalers, he said. However, the study authors added that it's not clear what effect the increased cost might have had for people without insurance.
