Doctors Express ‘Huge Shock’ as Manufacturer Pulls Popular Asthma Inhalers From Market

GSK plans to sell generic versions of the inhalers, but many are still worried about insurance coverage for alternatives.

A general view of the exterior of the GlaxoSmithKline offices in the Brentford area of London on Oct. 7, 2021. Leon Neal/Getty Images

Biopharma corporation GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline) will cease the manufacture and sale of two extremely popular branded asthma inhalers beginning next year in favor of producing generic versions, triggering concerns about insurance coverage and product access.

Effective Jan. 1, GSK will discontinue its asthma inhaler Flovent HFA and inhalation powder Flovent Diskus. Instead, the company will be offering generic versions of these products at a lower cost. The generic version of Flovent HFA was launched in May 2022.