Advair may be too expensive for many asthmatics

Being that we are in a recession and many of us are scrapping for money, some Gallant Asthmatics are finding it quite hard to afford their asthma medicines. This is especially true of Advair, which costs about $120 without health insurance.

Personally, even with health insurance I pay $80 a month for my asthma medicines. Thankfully I have a good job, and (fingers crossed) a recession proof job too. But others aren't as fortunate as me.

That in mind, in this edition of My Answer to Your Rt Queries I tackle the following tough question that was asked over at MyAsthmaCentral.com:

QUESTION:

I can no longer afford Advair. Are there different (and cheaper) meds to take?

ANSWER:

Advair is a medicine that has benefited many asthmatics, unfortunately it is a very expensive medicine. The cost of a medicine usually does not decrease in value until the patent runs out and generic meds are produced. A patent usually lasts about about 25 years.

This is something you should definitely talk to your doctor about, because while Advair may be the best medicine for you because it contains both Flovent and Serevent and is relatively easy to use, there are alternative corticosteroids on the market that are less expensive, such as Vanceril, Beclovent, Azmacort, Aerobid (although Aerobid tastes nasty, like rotten mints), etc.

Even though these may or may not be ideal for you, I think your doctor would rather have you on a med you can afford than to take nothing at all.

As for the Serevent component of Advair, I do not believe there are alternatives to this on the market right now.

I bet another alternative would be to talk to your doctor about getting free samples, but because one discus lasts only a month, this would only be a temporary solution.

I think it is unfortunate that the worlds greatest asthma medicine (in my opinion and my doctors) has to cost so much. But that's the way it is in a capitalistic system.