Albuterol vs. Levalbuterol for Asthma Treatment in Children

American Family Physician

There was no difference between these agents in any effectiveness outcomes, including asthma scores, FEV1 measures, number of nebulizations required, respiratory rates, pulse oximetry readings, length of emergency department care, or hospitalization rates (Table 1). It has been clearly shown that samples will lead physicians to dispense and later prescribe brand name medications, even if these drugs were not the physician's preferred first-line choice.8 And while the physician may believe that distributing samples lowers costs for the patient, in reality, the long term costs of using a brand name drug over a generic exceed any initial cost savings.