An inhaler’s sole purpose is to deliver a specific dose of medicine, but when that delivery system isn’t functioning properly, the consequences are costly. A recent FiercePharma article noted GlaxoSmithKline’s voluntary recall of nearly 600,000 Ventolin inhalers used to treat asthma and acute bronchitis. The recall was prompted by the discovery that a number of units were out of specification for leak rate at GSK’s facility in Zebulon, North Carolina.
A spokesperson from GSK noted it is not a consumer-level recall, so patients who have Ventolin inhalers on hand are safe. However, products in the retail and wholesale channels are being removed. Last year, GSK recalled 130,000 inhalers because the canisters didn’t contain enough propellant to deliver the 200 doses the label claimed to provide through the end of its shelf life.
