In a move that could increase patient access to critical treatments for COPD and make it easier for physicians to encourage compliance, three major pharmaceutical companies this year have announced caps on the prices for their inhalers.
In March, GSK became the latest to announce that it will cap out-of-pocket costs for eligible patients at $35 for its asthma and COPD inhalers. The medicines included in the cap are:
- 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)
The company follows in the footsteps of AstraZeneca, which recently announced a similar $35 cap effective June 1, 2024, for all of its inhaled respiratory medicines in the U.S., including:
- Airsupra (albuterol and budesonide)
- 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
German-based pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim also previously announced that in June 2024, it will implement a $35 cap on all inhalers, including:
- Atrovent HFA (ipratropium bromide HFA) Inhalation Aerosol
- Combivent Respimat (ipratropium bromide and albuterol) Inhalation Spray
- Spiriva HandiHaler (tiotropium bromide inhalation powder)
- Spiriva Respimat 1.25 mcg (tiotropium bromide) Inhalation Spray
- Spiriva Respimat 2.5 mcg (tiotropium bromide) Inhalation Spray
- Stiolto Respimat (tiotropium bromide and olodaterol) Inhalation Spray
- Striverdi Respimat (olodaterol) Inhalation Spray
