FILE - This Oct. 14, 2015, file photo, shows the Food & Drug Administration campus in Silver Spring, Md. The FDA warned doctors and patients Tuesday, June 7, 2016, that over-the-counter and prescription anti-diarrhea drugs, including Imodium, can cause potentially deadly heart problems when taken in large doses. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
FILE – This Oct. 14, 2015, file photo, shows the Food & Drug Administration campus in Silver Spring, Md. The FDA warned doctors and patients Tuesday, June 7, 2016, that over-the-counter and prescription anti-diarrhea drugs, including Imodium, can cause potentially deadly heart problems when taken in large doses. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

 

Washington – The first generic version of the popular Advair asthma inhaler has been approved by U.S. regulators.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Mylan’s version in three strengths for ages 4 and up.

The inhalers are used twice daily to keep airways open and prevent flare-ups of wheezing, shortness of breath and other symptoms of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. About 42 million Americans have those conditions.

The device contains two medicines, inhaled in a precise mixture. That complexity has stymied a couple of other companies developing generic versions of GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair Diskus inhaler, which costs about $400 a month.

Generics generally are cheaper. Mylan didn’t immediately respond to queries about when its inhaler, called Wixela Inhub, will be available or what the price will be.

As reported by Vos Iz Neias