Big Pharma screws asthma sufferers

[marmar]

from Mother Jones:



If you or someone you know has asthma, you've probably noticed that the price of inhalers has jumped—from as little as $5 a few years ago to as much as $60 today. How'd that happen? The answer is a case study in how drug companies turned a well-meaning environmental regulation into an opportunity to suck billions from consumers.

PHARMA'S BIG PROBLEM In 1987, as part of an international treaty known as the Montreal Protocol, 26 nations agreed to phase out ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons. That could have been bad news for pharmaceutical manufacturers, which used CFCs as propellants in their asthma inhalers.

THE BRILLIANT SOLUTION Yet pharmaceutical companies, worried about the emergence of generic competition, soon spied an opening. If they could create and patent a new variety of CFC-free inhalers, securing the exclusive rights to sell them, they could force off-brand competitors out of the market and jack up prices. In 1989, Glaxo Wellcome and seven other (PDF) pharmaceutical firms formed the International Pharmaceutical Aerosol Consortium (IPAC) to come up with a new ozone-friendly product. By 1997, the first CFC-free inhalers hit pharmacy shelves.

PHARMA'S NEXT BIG PROBLEM The drug companies claimed to have spent more than $1 billion on this transition, so they weren't happy when scientists raised concerns about hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the group of gases used in the new inhalers. These propellants don't harm the ozone layer, but they are powerful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. In light of this, several researchers and one generic drug company argued that phasing out the old CFC-based inhalers didn't make environmental sense—especially given the higher prices asthma patients would have to pay for their medicine. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://motherjones.com/environment/2011/07/cost-increase-asthma-inhalers-expensive

[Cleita]

1. I'm an asthma sufferer. For those who can't afford to

see a doctor to get the prescription for an inhaler and also can't afford the inhaler, there are two things that I did before I qualified for Medicare. First was to drink lots of coffee. There is something in coffee that helps to quell an asthma attack. Secondly, I put myself up as a guinea pig to GLAXO as a test subject. They not only paid me but I got to see a doctor, got lab tests and free inhalers. Not a perfect solution but at least it was a way to get the medicine I needed.

[Drahthaardogs]

2. It is the caffeine in coffee that helps dilate bronchial tubes

The other thing you can do is go to an online Indian pharmacy and order yourself up a dozen inhalers for about $15 a pop. It is what I do. If you got some asthmatic friends, they will be happy to give you a bulk order. Screw big pharma.

[Ilsa]

3. Caffeine, and possibly, heat. Well, the warmth of the coffee always

helped my asthma, even when I was drinking decaf.