The older albuterol inhalers are no longer sold because they used CFCs as a propellant. CFC usage was banned internationally by the Montreal protocol in 1987. T

The older albuterol inhalers are no longer sold because they used CFCs as a propellant. CFC usage was banned internationally by the Montreal protocol in 1987. The propellant could not be immediately replaced due to strict FDA safety guarantees so they carved out a temporary exemption for medical usage. Research and development was done to find a replacement (HFAs) and that work is now being paid for by the patents granted from that process (more expensive inhalers). Whether this was a valid trade-off is a separate discussion but company lobbying is not the reason why they are no longer distributed. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/questions-answers/transition-cfc-propelled-albuterol-inhalers-hfa-propelled-albuterol-inhalers-questions-and-answers https://www.fda.gov/drugs/questions-answers/transition-cfc-p...