Perhaps this is what is happening....

Many older products, have been allowed on the market grandfathered in
when newer laws required safety and efficacy to be submitted to FDA.

Guaifenesin (Robitussin) was recently involved with this... and had to submit new data.

Some companies choose to not do the high $$ involved. Some get delayed.

Because of the death of that model (her name escapes me) perhaps this is being required of Primatine.
http://www.jlh-design.com/2007/01/pr...piracy-theory/

Primatene was also in short supply about 4 yrs ago. That took 6mos, to get it back on the shelves.

Here is a web forum discussing diversion, abuse:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=7&gl=us

If it were true that the active ingredient was being diverted into illicit drug manufacture, you'd think they would put it behind the pharmacy counter, like pseudoephedrine.
The secrecy about this is confusing.

I could not log onto www.fda.gov/ for you tonight. It seems to be down. Sorry