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Generic albuterol
inhalers disappeared from the marketplace when regulations took effect 10 years
ago to limit CFCs in favor of ozone-friendly propellants. At that time, consumers saw costs increase to
about $60 per device for inhalers in compliance with the new regulations
(Ventolin HFA, ProAir HFA and Proventil HFA). At long last, generics for
Ventolin HFA and ProAir HFA are now available. These products are authorized
generics, meaning they are the brand company's own product repackaged and
marketed as a generic drug. They cost
about $35 per device. Expect coverage for the respective products to be
dictated by contracts and rebates with third party payers.
Authorized generic
products are excluded from the FDA Orange Book, which governs which products pharmacists
may freely substitute. So while these
generic inhalers are the SAME as the brand inhaler, pharmacists are prohibited
from substituting the generics without phoning prescribers for permission. To circumvent these calls, please consider
selecting “albuterol inhaler” when prescribing rescue inhalers so that the
pharmacist may select a covered generic.
Even more welcome are
the new generic options for the Advair Diskus, which climbed to a staggering
$500 per inhaler in recent years, leaving patients and prescribers begging for
cost effective options. Prasco
pharmaceuticals is now producing an authorized generic for the Advair Diskus,
which costs about $460. As mentioned
above, while the device simply bears a different sticker than the brand name product,
the products are not interchangeable without prescriber authorization. Therefore, please write for
“fluticasone/salmeterol diskus” to prevent unnecessary phone calls for the
Prasco product.
In addition to the
authorized generic, the first AB-rated (freely substitutable) generic for
Advair Diskus was also approved in February.
It’s called the Wixela Inhub, and it costs significantly less than the
brand and authorized generics at only $150 per inhaler. It’s a new device, but operates very similarly
to the Advair Diskus, with the exception of VERTICAL instead of horizontal
orientation of the device. Click here
for a tutorial: https://youtu.be/KJNZzkBxqdg.
Prescribers should be
advised that generics are not yet available for Proventil HFA albuterol
inhalers, and Advair HFA metered-dose inhalers or AirDuo RespiClik devices.
References:
• Be Ready for New Albuterol HFA and
Advair Diskus Generics. Pharmacist’s
Letter. March 2019.
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