GSK is replacing its popular Flovent inhaler with authorized generics, raising cost concerns for asthma patients Annalisa Merelli By Annalisa Merelli Jan. 5, 2024

GSK is replacing its popular Flovent inhaler with authorized generics, raising cost concerns for asthma patients Annalisa Merelli By Annalisa Merelli Jan. 5, 2024 https://www.statnews.com/2024/01/05/flovent-asthma-inhaler-gsk-authorized-generic/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=289053632&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-94eJEfc0vNhZeZZPmqUg-twSnb6vmqOUPImnzNOdIvv8o5Mro962USKby8JKPm3rs1oGls_1uJTPKH7u01d-dZcOTfVQ&utm_content=289053632&utm_source=hs_email As of the new year, thousands of asthma patients in the U.S. are no longer able to get refills for Flovent, one of the most popular inhalers in the U.S. Its manufacturer, GSK, has discontinued both versions of the product — Flovent HFA, an inhalation aerosol, and Flovent Diskus, an inhalation powder — and replaced each with what is known as an “authorized generic,” essentially the same product sold under a private label. In theory, generics are supposed to be cheaper than brand-name drugs. But in practice, because of complex discount mechanisms and incentives adopted by drug manufacturers, the authorized generic could end up costing more to an insurance plan than Flovent, and more too than the competing brand-name inhaler. Read more on the change from STAT’s Annalisa Merelli.