In ⅔ of our patients taking a new generic drug of a certain puff, it causes side effects in the form of coughing and increase in symptoms. Nationwide, there have already been 150 reports of adverse drug reactions since the drug has been on the market (only a few months).
This puff (beclometasone/formoterol of the brand Viatris) is used mainly in adults, but also in children, for the maintenance treatment of asthma.
The coughing in itself is probably not harmful, but it is harmful if the medication cannot be inhaled properly, and thus does not enter the lungs properly. Because then the puff does not reach the place where it is supposed to do its job, or people stop puffing because it only makes them cough and finds this annoying.
There are also patients who do not cough, but do get a significant decline in symptoms and lung function, with several patients also recovering in terms of increased symptoms after they started using the original brand (Foster) again.
We at Air4ce Kids think this is a bad thing, and in our opinion this brand should be taken off the market until more research is done.
See below amongst others our story about this, together with the director of Lareb and the director of the Longfonds, in the radio and TV broadcast of EenVandaag yesterday, together with the news items of Lareb and EenVandaag.
By way of background and nuance:
A generic drug is a new brand of an existing drug, which is allowed on the market once the patent of the brand that originally marketed it has expired. So then more brands are allowed to make the same drug. A puff consists of the active ingredient (in this case beclomethasone and formoterol), propellant and various excipients. These excipients can vary from brand to brand. As a result, a drug from a different brand could theoretically have different side effects
A doctor prescribes the active ingredient, and the pharmacy determines, based on agreements they have made with health insurance companies, which brand of drug is given to the patient. Now, based on those requirements from the health insurance companies, pharmacies have to give mainly generic brands, which are often cheaper than the original brand. As a result, patients are often given a generic brand as soon as it comes on the market, even though they were previously using the original brand. Therefore, unbeknownst to the doctor, patients may suddenly find themselves with a different brand of medication. This is not necessarily wrong, as everyone wants the lowest possible health care premium. But you would naturally expect that a new brand of drug, before it is marketed, is tested in such a way that side effects are not going to be widespread.
Link to TV broadcast of EenVandaag:
https://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/item/eenvandaag-22-12-2023/
Link to radio broadcast from EenVandaag:
https://www.nporadio1.nl/podcasts/radio-eenvandaag/100917/uitzending-van-22-december-2023
Link to news release from adverse reaction center Lareb:
https://www.lareb.nl/nl/news/veel-hoest-en-benauwdheidsklachten-bij-inhalator-van-viatris/
Link to news report from EenVandaag:
https://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/item/klachten-aan-luchtwegen-door-astma-inhalator-bizar-dat-dit-medicijn-nog-op-de-markt-is/
