Flovent Inhaler Availability

Flovent Discontinued

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced that it will stop producing Flovent HFA and Flovent Diskus for distribution in the United States. The company plans to continue manufacturing the same products by simply producing a Flovent generic directly. These are considered authorized generics, which means they will be identical apart from the labeling — and the potential price tag. 

Flovent Price

Prior to their discontinuation, a Flovent-branded inhaler was available for retail prices of around $250 to $350, depending on factors like the form, strength, and your choice of pharmacy. The price of a generic fluticasone inhaler provided by GSK is meant to be significantly less, or about $170 to $180 for an HFA inhaler. 

Of course, this price change is a welcome one, but it does present some potential logistical problems for healthcare providers, pharmacies, and, ultimately, the patients who rely on the medication. 

Challenges Related to the Generic Fluticasone Inhaler 

Are There Flovent Alternatives?

Flovent contains the active ingredient fluticasone propionate, which is an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS). These medications remain crucial in asthma management for many patients, and there are alternative medications available in this class. For instance, your healthcare provider may recommend switching to:

• Qvar (beclomethasone)

• Pulmicort (budesonide)

• Alvesco (ciclesonide)

• Asmanex (mometasone)

Each of these inhalers offers a medication in the same class, but they are not equivalent. 

If you’ve done particularly well managing your symptoms with fluticasone, you may wish to speak with your insurance provider about coverage of the generic. If you do not have insurance or you find the Flovent generic will not be covered by your plan, you have a few options. 

There are other branded products that contain the same ingredient:

• ArmonAir Digihaler (fluticasone propionate powder – dry powder inhaler)

• Arnuity Ellipta (fluticasone furoate powder – dry powder inhaler)

These are both dry powder inhalers, so individuals who prefer an HFA that delivers the medication via a propellant may not be as satisfied with these options. It’s also important to remember that while these products contain fluticasone, they are not considered equivalent to Flovent, so some variability in response is possible. 

Generic Flovent can also be purchased directly from many different sources. You need a prescription, of course, but the prices of medications like fluticasone inhalers can vary widely between pharmacies. Many individuals also check the prices available at Canadian pharmacies, which can provide significant savings for many drug products. A recent study published in the journal Clinical Drug Investigation estimates that an average savings of about 72% for many commonly used medications were available when compared with US prices.