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Beginning January 1, 2009, millions of asthma sufferers will no longer legally be able to obtain the low-cost albuterol inhalers that enable them to breathe. The inhalers have been outlawed by FDA regulations under the UN Montreal Protocol on Ozone Deplation.  Few things are more terrifying than being smothered, yet millions of Americans who suffer from asthma and other respiratory ailments experience this sensation on a regular basis. For many it is not just an unpleasant and debilitating experience, but a life-threatening one. For decades, these sufferers have received emergency relief from albuterol metered-dose inhalers (MDIs). These traditional MDIs, however,...

Jan. 24, 2006 — A U.S. Food and Drug Administration committee voted 11-7 today to recommend that certain over-the-counter asthma inhalers, such as Primatene Mist, be taken off the market over concerns that they contain chlorofluorocarbons that could harm the environment. Chlorofluorocarbons have been associated with depleting Earth's ozone layer, which can in turn contribute to global warming and skin cancer. But another issue at hand, according to health experts, is that Primatene Mist may do patients more harm than good. The recommendation now means that the FDA will vote whether to keep over-the-counter inhalers on the market, said FDA...