FDA approves ProAir RespiClick (albuterol sulfate) inhaler for treatment of Asthma-Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., has announced that the FDA has approved ProAir RespiClick (albuterol sulfate) inhalation powder, a breath-actuated, multi-dose, dry-powder, short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) inhaler for the treatment or prevention of bronchospasm in patients 12 years of age and older with reversible obstructive airway disease; and for the prevention of exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) in patients 12 years of age and older. It is expected to become commercially available to patients during the second quarter of 2015.

Comment: Adherence is a major issue in the effective management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Research shows that some 50-70% of patients do not adhere to their treatment. Moreover, many patients have multiple devices for different parts of their treatment (maintenance and rescue therapies). This adds to the complexity that patients face. Patients experience difficulties with the use of their inhalers, and incorrect inhaler use is directly linked to the effectiveness and stability of their asthma and COPD management. Improper inhaler use can result in increased exacerbation (acute attacks) of asthma or COPD requiring emergency care. The Teva approach to effective treatment management is the development of a new inhaler device platform for use in both maintenance and rescue therapies. A patient simply opens, inhales and closes the device. This device is designed to deliver the needed dose simply by inhaling without the need to coordinate activation of the device while taking a breath � a major cause of treatment failure. This new delivery platform is designed to offer patients better control of their asthma and COPD, and may result in improved compliance.