Experts Consider Withdrawal of 3 Asthma Drugs: Serevent, Advair and Foradil.
About 15 million Americans have asthma, which causes inflammation in the airways of the lung and constriction of nearby muscle.
An FDA advisory panel is currently discussing the safety and possible withdrawal from the market. Black Box warnings were added to GlaxoSmithKline's Serevent and Advair in August 2003. That decision was based on a small but significant increased risk of asthma related deaths or life threatening asthma attacks.
A U.S. FDA advisory panel voted unanimously that Novartis' Foradil asthma medication, marketed by Schering-Plough Corp., should have a warning regarding the risk for worsened breathing.
Recent studies have found that patients who inhaled the long-acting beta-agonists Serevent and Advair (salmeterol) or Foradil (formoterol), were 3.5 times more likely to die from asthma.
Apparently, while these drugs relieve asthma symptoms, the medication also creates bronchial inflammation which can lead to death.
According to astrophysicist Edwin Salpeter "We can show that overall it is statistically significant that, compared to patients taking a placebo, these long-acting beta-agonists kill a lot of people."
Shelley Salpeter, clinical professor of medicine at Stanford's School of Medicine confirms: "We estimate that approximately 4,000 out of the 5,000 asthma deaths that occur in the U.S. each year are actually caused by these long-acting beta-agonists, and we urge that these agents be taken off the market."
And more tragic, most of these asthma deaths are otherwise healthy young adults.
Asthma Updates
Dangerous Asthma Drugs: Short-Term Relief, Long-Term Death
Take our dangerous asthma drug. Please. It will relieve your symptoms. Oh, but it could also worsen your asthma, which could kill you. But you'll die happy. Have a nice day.
Asthma Drug Affects My Son’s Behavior
Nikki’s eight year old son has asthma—he was diagnosed with the respiratory illness when he was just five years old. Since that time he’s been on albuterol, but it seems to be making things worse, not better.
What Led to the Black Box Warning on Asthma Drugs?
Two years ago the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the asthma drugs Advair Diskus, Advair HFA, Foradil Aerolizer, Serevent Diskus must carry black box warnings - - the most severe warning the FDA can issue. Most recently Symbicourt, Performist, (formoterol fumarate), and Brovana inhalation solution were added to list of asthma medications to carry this warning.
Asthma Medications in the News
MAY-06-08: Asthma drugs like Serevent, Advair and Foradil carry an FDA 'black box' label, warning that they "may increase the chance of severe asthma episodes and death when those episodes occur." [
NATIONAL REVIEW OF MEDICINE: ASTHMA]
AUG-23-06: Common asthma inhaler causing deaths, researchers assert
[
NEWS TARGET: ASTHMA]
JUL-13-05: Experts Consider Withdrawal of 3 Asthma Drugs
[
FOX NEWS: ASTHMA]
Asthma Medication Legal Help
If a loved one has died while usint Serevent, Advair, or Foradil, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a possible lawsuit. Please click the link below to send your complaint to a lawyer who will review your claim at no cost or obligation.
Salem, MS: Mary is asthmatic. She had been taking Serevent for about 18 months when she had a near-fatal acute asthma attack. Her regular inhaler didn't help, where normally it would have. She started losing her breath, and her ability to speak. Her husband called 911 and she was rushed to the emergency room at the nearest hospital. [ 
Washington, DC: Take our dangerous asthma drug. Please. It will relieve your symptoms. Oh, but it could also worsen your asthma, which could kill you. But you'll die happy. Have a nice day. [ 
White Oak, SC: Nikki’s eight year old son has asthma—he was diagnosed with the respiratory illness when he was just five years old. Since that time he’s been on albuterol, but it seems to be making things worse, not better. [ 
