The New Year is set to usher in 'green' asthma inhalers in compliance with an international "save the ozone layer" agreement. This agreement prohibits a propellant of Albuterol, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), from being used in medical and all other applications.

Albuterol, a bronchodilator is used as a treatment for various pulmonary diseases, but most commonly for asthma and is the quickest way to open up the breathing passages using an oral inhaler. Pharmaceutical companies have made new metered-dose inhalers that use hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs) to pump Albuterol.

These HFA inhalers have been available for a few years now but many patients are unhappy at these being the only choice as they claim the HFA inhalers are not effective on them. The cost factor is another deterrent with the HFA inhalers costing as much as $ 25 more than the CFC inhalers. This has also raised the concern that the extra cost could result in low income patients being forced to cut down on their purchasing needed prescriptions. The HFA inhalers cost $30 to $60, whereas the CFC inhalers cost $5 to $25.

Dr. Bradley A. Becker, co-director of the Asthma Center for Children at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis said, "Its possible people may skimp on their medicine because of the cost. Clearly that would not be a good strategy because you might end up in the emergency room."

Patients who are against the HFA inhalers have formed a group called The National Campaign to Save CFC Asthma Inhalers and have set up a documented Internet petition to the U.S. Congress to provide a medical exemption to the CFC ban for use in inhalers. In this they suggest that the amount of CFCs used in the inhaler pumps is a very small amount and inefficacy reports of the new HFC inhalers are being compiled from pulmonary patients throughout the world.