Manufacturing of the asthma and COPD drug Foradil Aerolizer (Formoterol Fumarate) will be discontinued, according to an announcement by the Food and Drug Administration.

In an advisory dated Oct 21, the FDA says Novartis (which manufactures the drug) and Merck have jointly decided to voluntarily discontinue the manufacture of Foradil Aerolizer “for business reasons.”

The agency anticipates that inventory will be exhausted and no longer distributed in or around January 2016, though inventory may be exhausted earlier.

“Healthcare providers are encouraged to identify an appropriate alternative treatment as soon as possible,” the FDA alert says.

More information is available on FDA.gov.