Doctors and parents are scrambling after asthma inhaler switch takes popular medication off the market

Flovent, a commonly prescribed childhood asthma medication, has been discontinued in the United States. The pharmaceutical company that manufactured it replaced it with a generic version called fluticasone. However, this swap has caused issues for doctors, nurses, and parents of children with asthma who are now scrambling to find medications for their young patients. Flovent is a necessary and lifesaving medication for children with severe asthma. Some physicians are reporting difficulties obtaining asthma medications due to insurance coverage restrictions. The switch from Flovent to fluticasone coincided with a change in Medicaid rebates, which may have prompted the discontinuation of Flovent to avoid financial penalties. Insurance formularies also pose challenges as they do not always list fluticasone as a preferred medication, leading to delays in obtaining prior authorizations. This situation has raised concerns about the availability of appropriate asthma medications for children.