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EPA to ban affordable inhalers?

There was no need to ban CFC inhalers. Their emissions were minimal. Banning them has no effect on skin cancer. I disagree that they waited until a suitable replacement was developed. The new inhalers don't work as well.
Saying "Pharma" profits so it's not the government is a smokescreen. It was Clinton who took away the exemption, thus CFC inhalers were banned.

300-500 million people requiring them and the emissions were "minimal"? And somehow it appears that Clinton was in office in 1987!

hint google "Montreal protocol"
 
It didn't work. I have had pre-cancerous skin growths removed from my skin, right and left. Thus the plight of all of us runners and cyclists, not to mention construction workers and farmers, who spend many hours out doors. I wouldn't consider that it was an alleged hole in the ozone layer, I would say it was spending way too much time in the sun. My father warned me about it when I used to lay out in the sun sunbathing, and my dad was born in 1907. Back then nobody ever heard of the ozone layer, much less, any holes in it, and I doubt there are any holes in it now, either.

Then you would be wrong - on many fronts. The Montreal protocol was not to prevent skin cancer but to stop it being a fact of life every time you poked your nose out of the door.

Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
It didn't work. I have had pre-cancerous skin growths removed from my skin, right and left. Thus the plight of all of us runners and cyclists, not to mention construction workers and farmers, who spend many hours out doors. I wouldn't consider that it was an alleged hole in the ozone layer, I would say it was spending way too much time in the sun. My father warned me about it when I used to lay out in the sun sunbathing, and my dad was born in 1907. Back then nobody ever heard of the ozone layer, much less, any holes in it, and I doubt there are any holes in it now, either.

Cancer is a sliding scale. Even with a healthy ozone, you still face risks if you spend too much time in the sun. The more damage to the ozone layer , the more UV radiation gets through. The more UV exposure you get, the higher your odds of getting cancer are.
 
Thanks for pointing that out. I only know of Primatine Mist, though there may be other over the counter inhalers. I was long ago prescribed Albuterol until I informed my doctor that Albuterol was no longer working.
Primatine Mist is the only OTC inhaler. It is also the only one that uses epinephrine as the active ingredient. I've been depending on this stuff for 30 years. It's saved my life more than a few times. And abuterol doesn't work for me either.

The alternatives to Primatine are very expensive, require a prescription, use a different active ingredient and sometimes don't work for everybody. And doctors generally do not write prescriptions for them with refills. So you have to pay for an office visit every time you need a refill. I simply don't have that kind of money.

The corrupt Washington politicians and bureaucrats are playing games with my life. I've never felt so uncertain and helpless in my entire life.

And time is running out. I've stocked up on Primatine inhalers, but they all expire in September 2012. About a year from now. Is that also going to be my expiration date? Probably not. It's been my experience that some of the the Primatine inhalers can still work long past their expiration date. I remember having one that was expired for 3 years that still worked.

But what about after that?
 
my asthma demands justice!!
 
Please tell me this is just hyperbole and not really the EPA's position.

Asthma patients who rely on over-the-counter inhalers will need to switch to prescription-only alternatives as part of the federal government's latest attempt to protect the Earth's atmosphere.
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday patients who use the epinephrine inhalers to treat mild asthma will need to switch by Dec. 31 to other types that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons, an aerosol substance once found in a variety of spray products.
The action is part of an agreement signed by the U.S. and other nations to stop using substances that deplete the ozone layer, a region in the atmosphere that helps block harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun.
But the switch to a greener inhaler will cost consumers more. Epinephrine inhalers are available via online retailers for around $20, whereas the alternatives, which contain the drug albuterol, range from $30 to $60.


We couldn't make this other type of inhalers available over the counter? I thought this administrations position was in making health care more affordable.

Obama Administration to Ban Asthma Inhalers Over Environmental Concerns | The Weekly Standard

This is nothing more than a Mickey Mouse effort to reduce man-made global warming. Instead of taking the correct steps to end carbon emissions, the EPA takes stabs at items that will have no great impact. According to expert scientists, the existence of a next generation is not a given and that we may only have 20 to 30 years to cut carbon emissions by 50%. And, scientists say that we have not even taken one step in the right direction to actually solve the problem and that we need to do so now.

That is why I propose a real solution to the problem. First, we need to ban all vehicles that are powered by gasoline or batteries. Second, we need to ban all heating and airconditioning that uses gas or electric. This should be enough to cut carbon emissions by 50%. Anything less, should be a non-starter.

The question arises as to when we will begin doing this. My suggestion is that it needs to start immediately. Remember, the life you save may be your grandchilds.
 
300-500 million people requiring them and the emissions were "minimal"? And somehow it appears that Clinton was in office in 1987!

hint google "Montreal protocol"

This has already been discussed in this thread but asthma medications were exempt from the ban. It was Clinton who removed the exemption.
 
It was the Bush administration who signed off on it in 2008.
 
It was the Bush administration who signed off on it in 2008.
And back in 2008 it was thought that an epinephrine inhaler using a non-CFC propellant could be developed before 2012. But they've run into problems. That turned out not to be the case and now it is not expected to be on the market by then.

All it would take is a stroke of the pen by Obama to reverse the decision via executive order. Instead he is simply risking the lives of millions of Americans. So you can shove your idiotic blame Bush BS where the sun don't shine, Bush isn't president anymore. Obama is president and it is 100% his decision to make.
 
This has already been discussed in this thread but asthma medications were exempt from the ban. It was Clinton who removed the exemption.

I would suggest you do more research - maybe look for a link supporting that one that actually talks about international treaties

However, Primatene Mist will no longer be available by year’s end because no CFC-containing epinephrine inhalers can be made or sold after Dec. 31, 2011, to comply with obligations made under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This is an international agreement signed by the United States, in which countries agreed to phase-out substances that deplete the ozone layer, including CFCs, after certain dates.

“If you rely on an over-the-counter inhaler to relieve your asthma symptoms, it is important that you contact a health care professional to talk about switching to a different medicine to treat your asthma,” said Badrul Chowdhury, M.D., director of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Rheumatology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

The FDA began public discussions about the use of CFCs in epinephrine inhalers in January 2006. The FDA finalized the phase-out date for using CFCs in these inhalers and notified the public in November 2008. Many manufacturers have changed their inhalers to replace CFCs with an environmentally-friendly propellant called hydrofluoroalkane (HFA). There is currently no HFA version of epinephrine inhalers.

Last OTC Inhalers Being Phased Out

Sorry don't see the Clinton link there
 
And back in 2008 it was thought that an epinephrine inhaler using a non-CFC propellant could be developed before 2012. But they've run into problems. That turned out not to be the case and now it is not expected to be on the market by then.

All it would take is a stroke of the pen by Obama to reverse the decision via executive order. Instead he is simply risking the lives of millions of Americans. So you can shove your idiotic blame Bush BS where the sun don't shine, Bush isn't president anymore. Obama is president and it is 100% his decision to make.

But millions of Australians get along fine without epinephrine in inhalers. I am wondering whether there is some other reason why this particular medication is being phased out
 
300-500 million people requiring them and the emissions were "minimal"? And somehow it appears that Clinton was in office in 1987!

hint google "Montreal protocol"

If the ingredients inside the inhaler are being inhaled directly into the lungs, how does it harm the environment?
 
If the ingredients inside the inhaler are being inhaled directly into the lungs, how does it harm the environment?

fart.gif
 
Please tell me this is just hyperbole and not really the EPA's position.

Asthma patients who rely on over-the-counter inhalers will need to switch to prescription-only alternatives as part of the federal government's latest attempt to protect the Earth's atmosphere.
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday patients who use the epinephrine inhalers to treat mild asthma will need to switch by Dec. 31 to other types that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons, an aerosol substance once found in a variety of spray products.
The action is part of an agreement signed by the U.S. and other nations to stop using substances that deplete the ozone layer, a region in the atmosphere that helps block harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun.
But the switch to a greener inhaler will cost consumers more. Epinephrine inhalers are available via online retailers for around $20, whereas the alternatives, which contain the drug albuterol, range from $30 to $60.


We couldn't make this other type of inhalers available over the counter? I thought this administrations position was in making health care more affordable.


Obama Administration to Ban Asthma Inhalers Over Environmental Concerns | The Weekly Standard
The hyperbole can be found in your posts, since ensuing posts have shown that:

a) This is not a product of the "Obama administration" (although he is being castigated for not solving this problem, just as he has been repeatedly castigated for other problems he has inherited), but rather a product of a hyper-partisan attack, and that

b) this is not a product of government corruption or ineptitude, but perhaps some form of corporate greed or malfeasance (taking advantage of a regulatory situation to eliminate a low-cost generic medication from the market in favor of a higher priced prescription alternative). The real question is: Everyone in the industry knew this was coming, so why has no CFC-free OTC alternative been forthcoming?

Now if you can make a rational argument that the gov't has conspired to force people away from OTC meds in order to drive them to a doctor instead, then you may have a case.
 
And back in 2008 it was thought that an epinephrine inhaler using a non-CFC propellant could be developed before 2012. But they've run into problems. That turned out not to be the case and now it is not expected to be on the market by then.

All it would take is a stroke of the pen by Obama to reverse the decision via executive order. Instead he is simply risking the lives of millions of Americans. So you can shove your idiotic blame Bush BS where the sun don't shine, Bush isn't president anymore. Obama is president and it is 100% his decision to make.

The only problems that Pharma ran into was that they wanted to increase profit margins. They chose not to make the drug back in 2007 despite encouragement from the FDA.
 
I would suggest you do more research - maybe look for a link supporting that one that actually talks about international treaties



Last OTC Inhalers Being Phased Out

Sorry don't see the Clinton link there

I've been following this issue for years, ever since my first personal experience with the new FHA inhalers, which was not a good one. If you don't even know the basics ie. the Clinton Admin link then you're the one who needs to do "more research".
It was under the 9th meeting of the Montreal Protocol (1997) that the medical exemption for CFC inhalers was removed. The people in this thread blaming Reagan are wrong by a decade.
More information:
LEGALIZE CFC INHALERS

Dictatorship out of Thin Air

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop wrote that there is “no comparison between the infinitesimal improvement in ozone depletion that would result from the FDA’s ban and the direct impact of forced elimination of medications on 14 million American asthmatics.”
Ben Lieberman of the Competitive Enterprise Institute noted,
Numerous medical societies raised concerns that the wide variety of CFC inhalers currently in use will be replaced with a handful of unproven substitutes that may be inadequate for some patients.
But banning CFC inhalers would have given Clinton administration officials new bragging rights at international environmental conclaves. (The Clinton administration downshifted on this initiative after the backlash.)
 
It was the Bush administration who signed off on it in 2008.

I am totally unfamiliar with this legislation and how it was passed. Could you please advise the answers to the following questions?

1. What was the breakdown in votes in the House and Senate by party?
2. Did President Bush speak in favor of this legislation?
3. When President Bush signed this legislation into law, was this legislation part of a larger package or was it a stand-alone bill?

President Bush certainly backed some legislation that I wish he hadn't, but not sure on this one. Based on your statement, some would take it that Bush favored this legislation and maybe he did, but let's see if that impression is actually correct. Thanks.
 
Please tell me this is just hyperbole and not really the EPA's position.

Asthma patients who rely on over-the-counter inhalers will need to switch to prescription-only alternatives as part of the federal government's latest attempt to protect the Earth's atmosphere.
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday patients who use the epinephrine inhalers to treat mild asthma will need to switch by Dec. 31 to other types that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons, an aerosol substance once found in a variety of spray products.
The action is part of an agreement signed by the U.S. and other nations to stop using substances that deplete the ozone layer, a region in the atmosphere that helps block harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun.
But the switch to a greener inhaler will cost consumers more. Epinephrine inhalers are available via online retailers for around $20, whereas the alternatives, which contain the drug albuterol, range from $30 to $60.


We couldn't make this other type of inhalers available over the counter? I thought this administrations position was in making health care more affordable.

Obama Administration to Ban Asthma Inhalers Over Environmental Concerns | The Weekly Standard
Wait, wtf? environmental impact? What a load of horse ****.
 
I've been following this issue for years, ever since my first personal experience with the new FHA inhalers, which was not a good one. If you don't even know the basics ie. the Clinton Admin link then you're the one who needs to do "more research".
It was under the 9th meeting of the Montreal Protocol (1997) that the medical exemption for CFC inhalers was removed. The people in this thread blaming Reagan are wrong by a decade.
More information:
LEGALIZE CFC INHALERS

Dictatorship out of Thin Air

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop wrote that there is “no comparison between the infinitesimal improvement in ozone depletion that would result from the FDA’s ban and the direct impact of forced elimination of medications on 14 million American asthmatics.”
Ben Lieberman of the Competitive Enterprise Institute noted,
Numerous medical societies raised concerns that the wide variety of CFC inhalers currently in use will be replaced with a handful of unproven substitutes that may be inadequate for some patients.
But banning CFC inhalers would have given Clinton administration officials new bragging rights at international environmental conclaves. (The Clinton administration downshifted on this initiative after the backlash.)

Since CFC is the Propellant and not the active ingredient I cannot see a problem - unless you are not using a spacer properly
 
CFC is the Propellant not the active ingredient
Are you not inhaling the propellant as well?

A url for the actual text of "The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer", not a condensed version in a newspaper or magazine article. One will noticed a "one liner" ---> 3. Aerosol products, except medical aerosols.

http://ozone.unep.org/pdfs/Montreal-Protocol2000.pdf

In this area,
Albuterol=$48.69
Advair=$321.69
Spiriva=$270.69
Prices may vary according to area.
 
Oh! Dear!

CFC is the Propellant not the active ingredient

Then it is propelling itself right into the lungs of the user, mixing with saliva and whatever is inside the body and as the user exhales, he is exhaling nothing more than Carbon Dioxide, water vaper and what the body has not absorbed of this propellant is heavily diluted and rendered non-destructive. This banning of these over the counter inhalants is bogus.
 
Are you not inhaling the propellant as well?

A url for the actual text of "The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer", not a condensed version in a newspaper or magazine article. One will noticed a "one liner" ---> 3. Aerosol products, except medical aerosols.

http://ozone.unep.org/pdfs/Montreal-Protocol2000.pdf

In this area,
Albuterol=$48.69
Advair=$321.69
Spiriva=$270.69
Prices may vary according to area.

I was on Advair for awhile, and when I was first put on it, Advair made all the difference in cycling ability. I could finally breathe and was back up at the front of pack. Eventually Advair stopped working for me. I was on 250 mcg's at the time. My lung specialist's answer was to increase the dosage. I didn't like that so refused to get that prescription. I then went to an allergist. He told me the reason Advair no longer worked was that over the years, my lung passeways had become extremely inflamed and had narrowed. The molecules in Advair were much too large for my passeways so increasing the dosage would be useless and would only drain my wallet, not help me. He prescribed one brand of inhaler, whose name I can't think of but it was powder and was contained inside a bullet shaped tube. It was an inhalant, but not the typical inhaler we have seen. Finally, he put me on Symbicort, which is the strongest steroid inhaler. In the meantime, I took allergy shots for 3 years, which have helped me immensely. I can now breathe, and I also have Medrol, a Prednisone substitute, just in case I get a respiratory infection, which will help me to breathe. Medrol is not an anti-biotic. It is generic Prednisone.
 
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