Maggie Hassan

After GSK replaced a popular asthma inhaler with an identical product at a much higher price in order to avoid paying Medicaid rebates, many families reported substantial financial and treatment problems, according to a new report from a U.S. senator.

The issue began two years ago, when the drug company discontinued both versions of its popular inhaler — Flovent HFA, an inhalation aerosol, and Flovent Diskus, an inhalation powder — and continued selling only a so-called authorized generic version, which is essentially the same product sold under a private label. This version was launched in May 2022.

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Typically, generics sell for less than brand-name drugs, but this situation did not follow the usual pattern. And the report from Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) found that, thanks to its maneuver, GSK set in motion a series of changes that prompted many health plans and pharmacy benefit managers to create barriers to access.