Safe and effective medications for patients with asthma and allergies! That was the call to action on May 3, 2006, as AANMA members from across the country converged in Washington, DC, for AANMA's 9th annual Asthma Awareness Day Capitol Hill (AADCH).

Substitution Stories
AANMA's message to Congress was patient access to safe and effective medications – specifically the issue of patients receiving unlawful pharmacy-manufactured products instead of the FDA-approved medications prescribed by their physicians.

Patients, nurses and physicians shared personal stories about their experiences with pharmacy-manufactured medications, including AANMA member Lorraine Tasso, a community health case manager for the Visiting Nurse Association of Rhode Island.

As an AANMA member, Lorraine received the Allergy & Asthma Today magazine article "Are There Fakes and Frauds in Your Nebulizer?" (Fall 2004) about unlawful pharmacy-manufactured medications. She was shocked to find one of her patients had been taking some of these medicines, which he had received from a mail order pharmacy.

"This was a very frail elderly patient with multiple medical problems who was clearly failing to thrive," says Lorraine. "I felt compelled to act."

Lorraine contacted AANMA and notified the patient's physician, who was not aware that his original prescription for DuoNeb® had been substituted with non-FDA-approved medications.

Lorraine then discovered that her mother in Connecticut had also received unlawfully manufactured nebulizer medications. "My mother's medication was sent to her from a mail order pharmacy, through the company that supplied her nebulizer," she explained. "I was enraged! Once again, I [contacted AANMA, then] ensured that she obtained a new prescription with no substitutions allowed that were not approved by FDA."

Several physicians also told stories at Asthma Awareness Day about patients whose FDA-approved prescription medications had been swapped out for pharmacy-manufactured substitutes without their knowledge – seriously ill patients whose conditions improved significantly when they began using FDA-approved medications.

Citizen Advocates
In addition to the formal AADCH presentation, AANMA members carried their message personally to their Congressional representatives. For many, it was the first time they had experienced such a hands-on approach to government.

"We have our work cut out for us," said AANMA President Nancy Sander, summing up the day. "No patient should have to worry that their asthma and COPD medications might not be safe."

Stop Illegal Pharmacy Manufacturing
Spread the word about this dangerous trend. Talk to your family, friends and neighbors who use nebulizers to treat asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis or other respiratory diseases. AANMA's "Are There Fakes and Frauds in Your Nebulizer?" article offers a pictorial guide to identifying FDA-approved and unlawful pharmacy-manufactured nebulizer medications. You can also visit our Advocacy Center to contact your congressional representatives.