JLH Design

There are currently 13 responses to “Primatene Mist Conspiracy Theory”

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1. 1 On January 16th, 2007, Fred said:

   yab-adab-adoo!

2. 2 On August 19th, 2008, Kimberly said:

   You can buy primatene mist at CVS Pharmacy online only. It has the best price of only $17.99 each, 3 for $53.97 and orders over $50 have free shipping.

   I have stocked up on my supply. I tried abureral and it does not work. There’s nothing out there that works like primatene mist.

3. 3 On August 27th, 2008, jan said:

   Seems as of 27 Aug. 2008 Primatene has pposedly bought out by another company. I just called and they are in the pipeline.

4. 4 On October 13th, 2008, Mr Bungle said:

   It would seem to me that most doc’s and pharmacutical companys do not want primetene on the shelf. It contains the fastest acting ingredient for asthma (Epinephrine). when I was a child (9 years or so) I was given Epinephrine by injection many times to stop my asthma attacks. I was a solid member of the National Asthma Center for years, and Epinephrine works better for asthma than anything else. Problem is there is no money to be made off a drug that works so well and is so safe it can be sold over the counter. If the doctors cant get you in there office then they cant charge your insurance company outragous amouts of money to treat you. Thats why they came up with the cfc’s (oh they damage the enviroment) yea ok global warming is all the asthmatics fault. The bottom line is money, they want to get the 700k people that use primatene in the doc’s office so they can sell worthless new medication at rediculous prices,and in turn drive up healthcare prices even highter. If a pearson wants to go to a doc thats fine, but i have taken (since i was 5 years old) alupent, amonophlyn, albutural, epedrine, epinephrine, and a multitude of steroids, and belive it or not am still alive. I am 39 years old now, and i save thousands of dollars using primatene.

5. 5 On October 13th, 2008, Yellow said:

   http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/12/business/12asthma.html

   Expected Ban on Primatene Mist Raises Some Concerns
   Published: May 12, 2006

   The situation looked dire. While Jay Kraeszig of Zionsville, Ind., was on vacation in Florida a few years ago, he had a severe asthma attack and realized he had left his albuterol inhaler in his hotel room.

   Matthew Staver for The New York Times

   Off the Shelf Primatene Mist, an asthma inhaler available without a prescription, could be removed from shelves because it uses an ozone-depleting propellant.

   “He was turning gray,” his wife, Mary D. Kraeszig, recalled in an interview. “Probably another couple of minutes and he wouldn’t have been conscious.”

   Fortunately, she said, there was a Wal-Mart nearby. She dashed in and bought Primatene Mist, an asthma inhaler available without a prescription. It relieved the attack in minutes.

   But Primatene Mist, on the market for about 40 years, could be the next asthma inhaler banned because it uses a propellant harmful to the earth’s ozone layer.

   An advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration decided by a vote of 11 to 7 in January that the product, which contains the drug epinephrine, is not medically essential and therefore should not be exempt from a global treaty mandating the elimination of ozone-destroying products.

   But people like Ms. Kraeszig say that Primatene, the only over-the-counter method of quelling an asthma attack, is a vital stopgap for people caught without their prescription albuterol inhalers. And some advocates for minority groups and the poor say that Primatene is often the only remedy available to those who do not see doctors and cannot afford or otherwise obtain prescription drugs.

   “These inhalers are all that, in many cases, stand between them, as an asthmatic, and the emergency room or worse,” Manuel Mirabal, president of the National Puerto Rican Coalition, testified at the January F.D.A. meeting.

   The drug maker Wyeth, which sold $43 million of Primatene Mist last year, estimates that two million to three million people use the product — two-thirds of them as a backup for albuterol and the other third as their sole medication. Armstrong Pharmaceuticals, which makes the product for Wyeth, also makes epinephrine inhalers sold as store brands, and those, too, would be removed from the market. Armstrong is a unit of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals.

   Wyeth said it had been unable so far, after years of effort, to develop an epinephrine inhaler that would be effective and acceptable to consumers but would use a propellant that does not harm the ozone layer.

   Wyeth, which is now working jointly with Armstrong, urged the F.D.A. to keep Primatene on the market until an alternative is ready, which it estimated would be around 2011.

   But some of the physicians on the F.D.A. advisory committee had little sympathy. They said that despite Primatene’s long history of use, there was little evidence of the drug’s safety and effectiveness. Epinephrine is a synthetic version of the human hormone adrenaline.

   These doctors said Primatene could even harm patients because of side effects or because users might forgo better treatments. Removing it from the market, they said, could be an opportunity to switch asthma patients to better medications.

   “It is clearly not optimum therapy and I think suboptimal therapy is a disservice to our patients,” said Dr. Mark L. Brantly, a pulmonary physician at the University of Florida.

   Other committee members countered that even though Primatene was not ideal, it should remain available. “I think it’s naïve on our part to think that if this medication went away that these people would access appropriate care,” Dr. Mary E. Tinetti of Yale said.

   The F.D.A., which usually follows the recommendations of its advisory committees, has not yet announced its decision. It plans to issue a proposed rule that would still be subject to public comment.

   Ms. Kraeszig, a veterinarian, has already commented. After seeing a news report about the committee’s decision, she sent an e-mail message to the F.D.A. telling how her husband’s life was saved by the over-the-counter product. “If you ban Primatene Mist without another available O.T.C. substitute,” she wrote, “people will undoubtedly die.”

6. 6 On October 19th, 2008, Betty said:

   I am one of the many users of this inhaler. I prefer my albuterol but if I run out and the pharmacies are closed I use Primatene Mist. My husband and I have exhausted all the local stores that carried the inhaler and it seems I will be shit out of luck come my next emergency. Our county has banned the drug saying meth addicts use the drug. So to stop the drug addicts they are putting my life at risk… Smart move FDA!

7. 7 On November 6th, 2008, John Martine said:

   Yes, I just found out about this. I have seasonal asthma, generally only in the fall. I do not have insurance and I really can’t afford an emergency room visit… no idea what I am going to do until December?

8. 8 On November 7th, 2008, mike reser said:

   let’s get down to basics.

   a volcano does more to the precious atmosphere than men can impose on it.

   diesel vehicles, gas motors, etc create more air pollution than a little inhaler.

   a inhaler goes into your lungs, not the precious atmosphere. how much damage is it actually doing to others?

   answer…none.

9. 9 On November 10th, 2008, Justin said:

   I have used primatene mist since I was 11. I am now 31. The last time I purchased the inhaler, I had to ask for it due to it being stashed behind the counter at walmart. This last search I asked a pharmacist.. “what am I supposed to do?” and he said that its been killing people. I say bullshit. All of this due to a propellant harmful to the ozone layer? WOW. I have used all the junk inhalers the doctors want to prescribe, they dont work as fast or as good as the mist. FDA GET A PRODUCT THAT WORKS OR GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY.

10. 10 On November 23rd, 2008, Kat said:

    We all need to get together and contact the FDA and our Congressman to explain how life saving this drug is. Can anyone post any addresses or information that would help us to reach the FDA or possibly the company that would help us achieve this goal?

11. 11 On December 4th, 2008, wheezy bones said:

    After several years fighting breathing problems and seeing numorous “specialists” (each of whom told me that I was too old to have asthma) I finally came across an old country doctor who saw me while in the middle of a pretty nasty attack. after he conducted the normal breathing tests, I asked if he knew what was wrong with me. When he told me I had asthma, I explained that several pulmanary “specialists” had told me that I was too old to have asthma. At that point he finished my sentance by saying ” and they all wanted you to start a treatment program of (steroids), Right?” We had a lengthy talk about the “accepted” treatment for what was then called temporary pulmonary distress. To make a long story short, That old country doctor gave me a sample of the (then new OTC Primatene mist) and after detailed instruction on its proper use and dangers he told me to give it a try the next time I had an attack. That was in 1980 and I have been useing primatene mist ever since. I have had regular breathing tests every six months (due to job requirements) and after my last chest X-ray the docor told me that my lungs were clear. I am now 55 yrs. old.
    There can only be one excuse for pulling a product with such a long and proven track record from the market,, GREED!!,, from the medical community and the drug manufacturers. This whole mess only goes to proove without a doubt that the FDA is in the drug companies pockets!
    A few years back there was a big problem with the meth heads buying up all the otc cold remedies. at the same time there was a rash of robberies all over the country at doctors offices and pharmacies. I can see a time in the near future where therre will be a rash of thefts commited by a new class of criminals,,, all with a common trait,, all will be wheezing while commiting the robberies!
    I would suggest contacting our congressmen and senators,,, but I doubt that would do any good as they are a very large part of the problem!! (Can you say KICKBACK?)
    One thing we can all do is PRAY,,,, PRAY that all those CREEPS responsible for this mess along with their spouses and children contract asthma and die a very horrible death!

12. 12 On December 4th, 2008, plaza04433 said:

    Kat wrote:
    “Can anyone post any addresses or information that would help us to reach the FDA or possibly the company that would help us achieve this goal?”

    The FDA had this under Docket No. 2007N-0262 and RIN number 0910-AF92 -back in Nov 2007

    Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug
    Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852

    Supposedly, there is an annual allotment of CFC for all CFC inhalers, this is metered out quadr or bi-annually-and that the demand for inhalers exceeds this alotted supply -hence periodic shortages of Primatene Mist and its rebadges.

    If you really want to get pissed off, go to the FDA Archives online and read the original documents and exchanges between doctors and so called experts when this decision was first made a few years ago. THEN… check out each participant. Note that many advocates of withdrawing Primatene were paid consultants to Glaxo and others big pharma… talk about conflict of interest!!!!

    This is about big pharma using ecological issues to fleece and even endanger asthma sufferers.

    There is only one way to deal with this, raise hell with your representatives and congressmen, in person if necessary. I’ve been on this crusade since 2007. I informed mine a class type lawsuit was assured if this insanity moved forward.

    Primatene Mist was given a reprieve from 2009 -to 2011.

    Also…a bunch of BULL is floating around about the safety of PM. Any drug can impose a problem for specific unlucky individuals, but you must read this WebMD article:

    http://tinyurl.com/6mv45j

    Also see:
    https://www.saveCFCinhalers.org

13. 13 On December 10th, 2008, Mickie said:

    no insurance 14K last hospital visit, I will never pay that you all will, $12 inhaler would have prevented this but it is not available. Albuterol help but is not as effective. I’ll be back running up bills I can’t pay for you all. Thanks Armstrong/Wallgreens