Starting Saturday, many Americans will experience lessened costs for inhalers as new out-of-pocket price restraints take effect for asthma treatments from AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Inhalers Come with a Notably Higher Price Tag in the US
Following extensive public issues over the high expenses related to inhalers, these two pharmaceutical companies, along with GlaxoSmithKline, have pledged to cap out-of-pocket expenses at $35 per month, with GSK's cap set to commence by January 1.
This action reflects the measures taken by insulin manufacturers last year in reaction to the Inflation Reduction Act. Similar to insulin, inhalers in the U.S. are significantly more expensive compared to other affluent nations.
Investigations have disclosed momentous differences, with AstraZeneca charging $645 for an inhaler in the U.S. that costs only $49 in the UK, and Teva Pharmaceuticals charging $286 in the U.S. for a product priced at $9 in Germany.
For people like Caycee Shapland from Omaha, Nebraska, who spends at least $80 monthly on inhalers for her son's asthma, this cutback is a welcome relief from the financial burden.
Dr. Alan Baptist of Henry Ford Health in Detroit applauds the initiative, highlighting its possibility to lessen the financial strain for many patients who struggle to afford their treatments. He emphasizes how high prices and limited access to inhalers add to racial differences in asthma care, and intensify adverse effects among Black Americans.
Despite the positive effect of the price caps, concerns linger regarding their utilization and whether they will apply globally to all asthma treatments or just per inhaler. Furthermore, patients often need several treatments, further complicating their financial strain.
While the price caps allow relief to qualified families, the hidden issue of excessive drug prices in the U.S. remains unsolved, according to experts like Dr. Baptist.
Tragically, stories like that of Cole Schmidtknecht, who passed away due to a serious asthma attack intensified by unaffordable medication costs, emphasize the immediate need for expansive solutions to address this situation.
List of Inhalers Covered by Price Cap
Various major manufacturers of asthma inhalers have declared a cap of $35 per month on out-of-pocket costs. This cap will apply to people with commercial or private insurance, as well as those without insurance coverage.
AstraZeneca (effective June 1, 2024):
- AIRSUPRA® (albuterol and budesonide) inhalation aerosol
- BEVESPI AEROSPHERE® (glycopyrrolate and formoterol fumarate) inhalation aerosol
- BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) inhalation aerosol
- SYMBICORT® (budesonide and formoterol fumarate dihydrate) inhalation aerosol
Boehringer Ingelheim (effective June 1, 2024):
- Atrovent® HFA (ipratropium bromide HFA) inhalation aerosol
- Combivent® Respimat® (ipratropium bromide and albuterol) inhalation spray
- Spiriva® HandiHaler® (tiotropium bromide) inhalation powder
- Spiriva® Respimat®25 mcg (tiotropium bromide) inhalation spray
- Spiriva® Respimat®5 mcg (tiotropium bromide) inhalation spray
- Stiolto® Respimat® (tiotropium bromide and olodaterol) inhalation spray
- Striverdi® Respimat® (olodaterol) inhalation spray
GSK (with price change going into effect no later than Jan. 1, 2025):
- Advair Diskus (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder)
- Advair HFA (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation aerosol)
- Anoro Ellipta (umeclidinium and vilanterol inhalation powder)
- Arnuity Ellipta (fluticasone furoate inhalation powder)
- Breo Ellipta (fluticasone furoate and vilanterol inhalation powder)
- Incruse Ellipta (umeclidinium inhalation powder)
- Serevent Diskus (salmeterol xinafoate inhalation powder)
- Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone furoate, umeclidinium, and vilanterol inhalation powder)
- Ventolin HFA (albuterol sulfate inhalation aerosol)
