Nonprescription Sale of Inhaled Metaproterenol — Déjà Vu

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Abstract
IN the October 25, 1982, issue of the Federal Register, the Food and Drug Administration announced its intention to change the status of metaproterenol in metered-dose inhalers from a prescription to a nonprescription medication.1 In March 1983, over-the-counter sales began and were accompanied by an intensive television advertising campaign that encouraged self-medication of asthma with "prescription strength" Alupent. The FDA initiated this change on the basis of the safety and efficacy of the medication during its use by prescription in the United States over the previous nine years. In support, they cited studies in which inhaled metaproterenol had been . . .