Allergic Living: Price Caps on Asthma Inhalers a Big Win, But Barriers Remain

By Wendy Mondello

Asthma advocacy groups are applauding the move by major pharmaceutical companies to cap the price of their respiratory inhalers. The out-of-pocket costs for some asthma patients in the United States will be no higher than $35 per month. 

Drugmakers AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have announced that they will cap the costs on inhaler products for patients with asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder). AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim will implement the cost limit by June 1, 2024. GSK will do the same by January 1, 2025.

The action is especially welcome because asthma patients tend to ration or discontinue using medication because of high costs, says Kenneth Mendez, president and CEO of the nonprofit Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

Pulmonologist Dr. Christopher Oermann applauds these efforts and says cuts to inhaler costs will positively impact many of his patients. “The planned caps will help families immensely. This will dramatically improve access to these medications for so many families,” he says. 

Oermann is the division director for Allergy, Immunology, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine of Children’s Mercy Kansas City in Missouri. He has often had difficult conversations with families about whether they will buy asthma medications for their kids or put food on the table.

However, Oermann still has concerns about the availability of appropriate asthma medication.

Read the full article via Allergic Living

Learn more about asthma from Children's Mercy Kansas City