Where are all the generic inhalers for asthma and COPD? Researchers call for patent and FDA reforms
Take a look at the 53 inhalers approved by the FDA to treat asthma and COPD from 1986 to 2020, and you will find generic versions for just four of those brand-name products, and a widening gap where manufacturers may be hesitant to jump in, researchers from Georgetown, the University of Calgary, University of West Virginia and Harvard wrote in a Health Affairs article published yesterday.
That dearth of competition has meant decades of monopolies for blockbuster inhalers dispensing common asthma, COPD and other treatments like albuterol, budesonide formoterol, and fluticasone-salmeterol. But there has been a slight uptick in progress recently as they note:
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