Price caps for asthma inhalers from AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim will go into effect starting June 1.

Starting Saturday, many Americans will experience a welcome relief in the cost of inhalers, as new out-of-pocket price caps come into effect for asthma medications produced by AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim. This initiative follows years of public outcry over the exorbitant prices of inhalers, prompting these pharmaceutical giants, along with GlaxoSmithKline, to commit to capping the out-of-pocket expense at $35 per month. GlaxoSmithKline’s implementation of this cap is anticipated by January 1.

These actions parallel the measures taken by insulin manufacturers last year in response to the Inflation Reduction Act.

Comparable to insulin, inhalers in the U.S. have been subject to significantly higher costs compared to other affluent nations. A probe conducted by the Democratic-led Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions revealed stark disparities, with AstraZeneca charging $645 in the U.S. for an inhaler that costs a mere $49 in the U.K. Similarly, Teva Pharmaceuticals charges $286 in the U.S. for an inhaler priced at just $9 in Germany.

For individuals like Caycee Shapland, a 29-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, these cost discrepancies translate into substantial financial strain. Shapland spends a minimum of $80 each month on her 4-year-old son Jackson’s Symbicort inhaler, manufactured by AstraZeneca, to manage his asthma. In addition, Jackson requires albuterol, also from AstraZeneca, for his asthma. Despite having health insurance, Shapland has seen these costs soar to $350 per month, depending on the severity of Jackson’s condition, posing a significant financial burden.

“Going down from at least $80 a month to $35 a month is astronomical,” Shapland said. “I mean, feeding three young boys 5 and under is $300 a week on our groceries alone. So, it’s a lot of money.”

Dr. Alan Baptist, the division chief of allergy and immunology in the department of internal medicine at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, said the price caps for inhalers should provide significant financial relief for the 30% of his patients who can’t afford their medication.

“I applaud the companies for putting that out and I was surprised by it,” Baptist said.

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While asthma rates are slightly elevated among Black Americans compared to white Americans, the disparities in outcomes are starkly disproportionate, as noted by the federal data. Black children, in particular, face significantly graver consequences, being 4.5 times more prone to asthma-related hospitalizations than their white counterparts. Moreover, the mortality rate from asthma among Black children is a staggering 7.6 times higher than that among white children. These statistics underscore the urgent need to address the underlying factors contributing to these racial disparities in asthma outcomes.

‘Chaos for patients’

More than 27 million people in the U.S. have asthma, including 5 million children, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Dr. Steven Stryk, an allergist-immunologist and associate professor of internal medicine at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, said that while the price caps are a big deal, he remains skeptical until he sees how they’re implemented.

“I think what you’ll find is most doctors saying I’ll believe it when it happens,” he said.

According to a spokesperson for AstraZeneca, both privately insured and uninsured patients will be eligible for the $35 price cap, which will apply to all of the inhalers the drugmaker sells in the U.S.

A spokesperson for Boehringer Ingelheim said the $35 cap will be automatically applied at the pharmacy counter for the majority of eligible patients with commercial insurance. For those without insurance or whose pharmacies aren’t participating, they’ll be able to visit the company’s website starting Saturday, where they can enroll in a copay card that will reduce the out-of-pocket cost to $35.

GSK’s price cap will go into effect later this year, a spokesperson said, and will be available to all patients, regardless of income.