Asthma Patients in Israel Face Ventolin Shortage as GSK Halts Sales Permanently
Ventolin inhalers, a critical relief medication for asthma patients in Israel, have nearly vanished from pharmacies nationwide, with health funds ceasing prescriptions. The British pharmaceutical company GSK officially announced it will stop marketing Ventolin in Israel, confirming fears of many patients and parents who have struggled to find the inhaler in recent weeks. Ventolin, containing the active ingredient salbutamol, has been the most common fast-acting asthma inhaler in Israeli pediatric care for decades, providing essential relief during attacks but not treating the underlying disease.
Israel has an estimated half a million asthma patients, including about 10% of children who suffer from this chronic respiratory condition. The shortage began intensifying in 2023, forcing doctors to prescribe less common alternatives or imported substitutes. Despite some emergency approvals for imports by the Ministry of Health, the permanent discontinuation of Ventolin sales leaves many patients, especially children, without easy access to a familiar and trusted treatment.
Parents report significant anxiety over the forced treatment changes, with one mother describing her search across multiple pharmacies to secure a limited supply for her nine-year-old son who has used Ventolin since age three. Experts emphasize that while Ventolin provides rapid relief, exclusive reliance on it without addressing chronic inflammation is medically outdated and potentially harmful. Current global guidelines recommend combined inhalers that include steroids and bronchodilators for both prevention and relief, offering longer-lasting effects than Ventolin's four-hour duration.
However, the transition to newer treatments is complicated by a shortage of available pulmonology specialists to adjust therapies promptly, with long wait times for appointments. To mitigate this, Israeli pulmonologists and the Israeli Respiratory Society have launched intensive training initiatives for community doctors to guide them in prescribing appropriate alternatives quickly.
The Israeli Respiratory Society advises patients not to stop treatment independently but to consult their healthcare providers for suitable alternatives. Available options include generic salbutamol inhalers like Salamol and Salbutamol, as well as advanced combination inhalers such as Foster, Symbicort, and Budicort, which provide both anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator effects. GSK stated that most patients have already switched to generic versions and urged those still using Ventolin MDI to consult their doctors to select the best replacement therapy.
