The health agency had agreed to phase out such inhalers back in 2008 and has now revealed that the ban will
come into effect from next year. The decision means that the only over-the-counter asthma inhaler, Primatene Mist, will not be available from next year.
Primatene Mist, manufactured by Armstrong Pharmaceuticals, is the only such inhaler marketed in the United States and is thought to be used by more than a million asthma patients in the country.
The FDA added that all inhalers that contain the drug epinephrine will be banned starting from next year. Two other prescription inhalers that make use of the drug; Boehringer Ingelheim's Combivent Inhalation Aerosol and Graceway Pharmaceuticals' Maxair Autohaler., will also be phased out by the end of 2013.
