Why Ventolin Evohaler does not come with a counter?

[philly]

Why do Ventolin Evohaler and Serevent Evohaler not have a dose counter whereas Seretide Evohaler does? It would make it easier for patients to tell how much medicine is left compared to having to guess.

[Sir_Dispensalot]

very true, but it could well come down to a cost / logistics issue - seretide costs significantly more per unit than ventolin or serevent. Allen & Hanburys / GSK may be unwilling to invest extra money in low margin products - from a purely business point of view they already have significant market share on 2 established products - they don't need them to have a unique selling point. The second reason may be down to one of logistics - maybe the production line which makes the counter sleeve can only use a plastic which is purple - maybe the plastic won't take any other colour range, or maybe production of the purple ones has th factory to capacity and the production of counter versions of the green and blue sleeves is simply impossible without a new production line.

maybe a gsk/a&h rep could shed some light on the subject?

[LeftArm]

Prices fro branded medicines are fixed under the PPRS and manufacturers are unable to increase them arbitrarily.
By introducing a counter on the seretide inhalers A+H or GSK are able to put the product forward as a new formulation with extra benefits to patient compliance and therefore get a new product licence which will then enable them to increase the price.
(The added bonus is that as the non-counter stock is removed from the tarrif as discontinued they are able to sell a months stock that will in fact never get used.)

Or am I too cynical..

[bobbin]

Prices fro branded medicines are fixed under the PPRS and manufacturers are unable to increase them arbitrarily.
By introducing a counter on the seretide inhalers A+H or GSK are able to put the product forward as a new formulation with extra benefits to patient compliance and therefore get a new product licence which will then enable them to increase the price.
(The added bonus is that as the non-counter stock is removed from the tarrif as discontinued they are able to sell a months stock that will in fact never get used.)

Or am I too cynical..

No, I think you are correct to be cynical.......however........

In the UK, the price of Seretide Evohalers had never been increased. As expected, prices were decreased slightly as part of the 2009 PPRS, but Seretide remains an expensive product eg. Seretide 250 Evohaler was £62.29 before the 2009 PPRS and £59.48 afterwards (excluding VAT).

Given the high prices, it is quite possible for GSK to fit the products with a counter. Ventolin Evohaler is sold for only £1.50. I don't think GSK will be interested in fitting it with a counter when it sells so cheaply, they wouldn't want the extra expense.

Bobbin

[LeftArm]

Seretide 250 Evohaler was £62.29 before the 2009 PPRS and £59.48 afterwards (excluding VAT).

Ooops... I didn't check that.
Perhaps It's been added at extra cost for the benefit of patients who are unable to keep track of their doses as this is a fixed dose medication (twice a day) rather than the Ventolin which is used prn (although a counter would at least warn of empty canisters)

Of course the patent for the combination has been overturned in the UK and Ireland so perhaps the counter has been added to gain a new patent on the delivery device.

Still as cynical as ever

[johannes]

Perhaps its due to the new inhaler guideline for MA that newer ones are fitted with a counter.

[bleepholder]

could you imagine how paranoid you would become if it did have a counter....you're in the middle of having an asthma attack and you're busy puffing away on your ventolin, and you see the counter slowly ticking away down to zero...

but i guess it would make people more organised when it comes to ordering repeat prescriptions knowing how much they have left...

would also make it easier to check how much the patient has left rather than having to shake the cannister next to your ear...although i was told the other day, a good way to check if its empty is to put it (the cannister) in a beaker of water and if it sinks its empty and if it floats there is still some drug left in the "blue puffer"

but yes it could all come down to cost

[LeftArm]

If it sinks it is full and if it floats it is empty.



The counter has been introduced on Sertide Evohalers to extend their patent.
Ventolin Evohalers have a counter in the US.

[bleepholder]

apologies..my mistake...i couldn't rememebr which way round it went, the sinking and floating

[bobbin]

Ventolin Evohalers have a counter in the US.

I bet they don't sell for £1.50 in the US though! In general, drugs are much cheaper in the UK than in the US - both branded drugs and generics. Our generics are among the cheapest in the world. Branded drugs are often phenomenally expensive in the US.

Take zolpidem 5mg tablets as an example.........

Drug Tariff price in the UK (28 tabs) - £1.51 (January 2010)
Short-line wholesale price in UK - £0.49
Price of UK brand Stilnoct - £2.96

Price of US brand, Ambien - $159.00 for 30 tabs, approx.
Price of US generic - $18.00 approx.