Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62444 on Asthma: Medical Equipment, how many pharmaceutical companies are registered as marketing authorisation holders for dosage counters in emergency inhalers.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency understands the term “emergency asthma inhalers” in this context to refer to inhalers containing short-acting beta agonist, such as salbutamol and terbutaline, licensed for the rapid relief of symptoms during acute asthma attacks or bronchospasm, as well as for the prevention of exercise-induced bronchospasm.

There are typically two types of inhalers used, pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDI), often described as an ‘aerosol’ or ‘spray’ inhaler, and dry powder inhalers (DPI). Pressurised metered dose inhalers may be used more commonly in the United Kingdom.

All the currently licensed DPIs containing salbutamol or terbutaline include dose counters or dose indicators. There are four registered marketing authorisation holders in total.

None of the currently licensed pMDIs containing salbutamol for this emergency indication include dose counters or dose indicators. There are currently no licensed pMDIs containing terbutaline.