Sunday, December 7, 2008

Warning Given on Use of 4 Popular Asthma Drugs, but Debate Remains

Warning Given on Use of 4 Popular Asthma Drugs, but Debate Remains

By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: December 5, 2008
WASHINGTON — Two federal drug officials have concluded that asthma sufferers risk death if they continue to use four hugely popular asthma drugs — Advair, Symbicort, Serevent and Foradil. But the officials’ views are not universally shared within the government.

The two officials, who work in the safety division of the Food and Drug Administration, wrote in an assessment on the agency’s Web site on Friday that asthma sufferers of all ages should no longer take the medicines. A third drug-safety official concluded that Advair and Symbicort could be used by adults but that all four drugs should no longer be used by people age 17 and under.

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