The FDA panel, with outside advisers, made their decision and decided that two of the four asthma drugs should not longer be used in the treatment of asthma as discussed in my previous post: FDA to decide whether to Leave Four Medications Used for Asthma on the Market. The decision comes after suggestions that the use of these asthma medications may increase the risk of hospitalizations or death.
Advair & Symbicort will remain available for asthma patients as Bloomberg reports they are safer than Serevent or Foradil. Advair brought in $7 billion in sales last year alone! A panel member named Daren Knoell (associate professor of pharmacology) said, “The societal benefits far outweigh the risks.”
Therefore, Serevent & Foradil should not longer be used in the treatment of asthma. NY Times reported that experts from the panel “said that too many doctors used Serevent and Foradil inappropriately and that asthmatic patients were often fooled by their own symptoms and used them incorrectly.” These two drugs widen lung airways; however, they increase the risks of death unless they are paired with a steroid. The panel voted unanimously to ban the use of Serevent and Foradil in children and for adults, it was 17 to 10 to ban Serevent and 18 to 9 to ban Foradil.
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