Flovent, an asthma medication commonly used in children, has been discontinued by its manufacturer and replaced with an identical generic version. Some insurance companies are not covering this new generic version or do not consider it “preferred medication” leading to a higher out-of-pocket cost for patients. The high cost is making the medication inaccessible for some families or delaying access by requiring prior authorization for coverage.

Both brand names of Flovent (Flovent HFA and Flovent Discus) have been discontinued as of January 1^st, 2024. The same manufacturer, GSK, now produces a generic alternative that is an identical product and the same inhaler device, just without the name Flovent.

Flovent is the asthma medication that tends to work best for children, and there are not many alternatives that are appropriate for pediatric use due to the lung capacity required to use them.

Flovent is also used to treat EoE, a chronic allergic inflammatory condition in the esophagus. There are few alternative treatment options for this condition.

If you or your child previously took Flovent, discuss if it is safe to switch medicines or types of devices with your doctor. If this is not an option, ask your insurance company for a formulary exception to cover the authorized generic fluticasone and ask your provider to do the same.

If you can switch brands, it is important to learn how to correctly use your new inhaler, as different medications and devices may require different techniques.

The manufacturer of Flovent, GSK, released a statement before it discontinued the brand-name Flovent stating that the generic version should be a lower-cost alternative. The generic version does have a lower price, but the cost can end up being higher for the patient if their insurance company does not cover it.

It is unclear if insurance companies will respond to pressure by doctors to cover the generic version of Flovent.

We are still learning how many patients have had difficulty accessing appropriate medication because of this change.