Drugmakers’ tactic to replace Flovent HFA with a generic made it harder to get

  • Lowering the price of a common asthma drug made it harder to get
  • Drugmakers lowered prices to avoid Medicaid penalties
  • Replacing popular asthma drug Flovent HFA with a generic backfired
  • Parents were unable to fill their children’s asthma prescriptions
  • The medicine disappeared from the market due to pricing

Earlier this year, parents across the country faced difficulties when trying to fill their children’s asthma prescriptions. The medicine they relied on, Flovent HFA, was no longer covered and soon disappeared from the market. This unexpected turn of events was a result of drugmakers’ attempt to lower prices and avoid Medicaid penalties. However, their tactic to replace Flovent HFA with a generic alternative backfired, leaving parents struggling to find an effective and affordable solution for their children’s asthma treatment.

Public Companies: Glaxo ()
Private Companies:
Key People:

Factuality Level: 8
Justification: The article provides a clear and specific example of parents not being able to fill their children’s asthma prescriptions due to the medicine no longer being covered and disappearing from the market. The reason given for this is pricing, which suggests that the article is based on factual information and not opinion or speculation.

Noise Level: 7
Justification: The article provides a brief overview of a specific issue (asthma medication no longer covered due to pricing), but lacks in-depth analysis, evidence, and actionable insights. It does not explore long-term trends, antifragility, or accountability of powerful people. The information provided is limited and does not support its claims with data or examples.

Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Pharmaceutical industry

Presence of Extreme Event: No
Nature of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating of the Extreme Event: No
Justification: The article discusses the impact of pricing on the availability of asthma medicine, which is relevant to the financial markets, specifically the pharmaceutical industry.

Reported publicly: www.wsj.com