Saving the Ozone Layer by Making it Harder to Breathe

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The reason why the albuterol inhalers using HFA cost considerably more than epinephrine inhalers (or the now withdrawn albuterol inhalers using CFC has almost nothing to do with the price of the minor amount of the gas involved, but because the HFA inhaler designs are still under patent protection, which will expire sometime next year.  Once that happens the cost should come down considerably.  Some company could have submitted an epinephrine HFA inhaler to the FDA for approval, but albuterol is considered to be a considerably superior drug to epinephrine as it is more specific and has fewer side-effects, so even before the switch to non-CFC inhalers, albuterol had come to dominate the market.

It's a shame in one respect as I remember the Primatene Mist commercials that used to show up on TV, but this is not a serious problem.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

the law goes into effect before the patent protection expires.
plus I believe people should have their choice in medicines, particularly if it's something they're used to already and they do well with.

A delay until the patent protection expires would only keep Primatene Mist on the market a year or two longer.  If there was enough of a market to be worth the cost of developing it, a non-CFC epinephrine inhaler would have been developed.  There isn't because albuterol is a superior drug for this use.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

the law goes into effect before the patent protection expires.
plus I believe people should have their choice in medicines, particularly if it's something they're used to already and they do well with.

A delay until the patent protection expires would only keep Primatene Mist on the market a year or two longer.  If there was enough of a market to be worth the cost of developing it, a non-CFC epinephrine inhaler would have been developed.  There isn't because albuterol is a superior drug for this use.

True - but that doesn't negate the problem in the meantime, as a delay isn't going to happen right now. I don't know if the Montreal Protocol establishes the date for this or if its US policy as part of a plan to reach a goal at a later date. 
I am support policies to reduce CFC's, and glad we've made some progress here as on other pollution issues. But this idea that a substance is supposed to be completely eliminated, that there is never an occasion that could justify it's use, is wrongheaded.

The main reason there is still a market for Primatene Mist is that it is OTC, while albuterol is a prescription product.  Frankly, given the side effects of the two if only one were to be OTC it should be albuterol, but epinephrine benefits from being a grandfathered drug.  Getting epinephrine inhalers off the market is a good thing, and what is needed now is to get albuterol to OTC status or at least UTC status (i.e., you need to go to the pharmacy counter, but not pay extra for a doctor visit).