Reply #6: The discussion in the comments on the Media Matters link are interesting.

[PeaceNikki]

There's discussion about the manufacturer of Primatine having time to develop product different propellant and then discussion that wasn't even the primary reason it is being pulled.

From a news story back in 2006.

Wyeth, which is now working jointly with Armstrong, urged the F.D.A. to keep Primatene on the market until an alternative is ready, which it estimated would be around 2011.

But some of the physicians on the F.D.A. advisory committee had little sympathy. They said that despite Primatene's long history of use, there was little evidence of the drug's safety and effectiveness. Epinephrine is a synthetic version of the human hormone adrenaline.

These doctors said Primatene could even harm patients because of side effects or because users might forgo better treatments. Removing it from the market, they said, could be an opportunity to switch asthma patients to better medications.

"It is clearly not optimum therapy and I think suboptimal therapy is a disservice to our patients," said Dr. Mark L. Brantly, a pulmonary physician at the University of Florida

Unlike the common cold, asthma is a disease that needs specialized care, Ferdman said.

"Some diseases can be treated without the help of a doctor," he said. Asthma is not one of these."

I guess I am on the fence about this one, but I am not an asthma patient. I am curious as to why an alternative is still not ready. :shrug: