Noting with appreciation

the work done by the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel and its Medical Technical Options Committee,

Mindful that, according to decision IV/25, the use of chlorofluorocarbons for metered‑dose inhalers does not qualify as an essential use if technically and economically feasible alternatives or substitutes are available that are acceptable from the standpoint of environment and health,

Noting the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel’s conclusion that technically satisfactory alternatives to chlorofluorocarbon‑based metered-dose inhalers are available for short‑acting beta-agonists and other therapeutic categories for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,

Mindful that paragraph 8 of decision XII/2 allows the transfer of chlorofluorocarbons between metered-dose inhaler companies,

Welcoming the continued progress in several Parties not operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 in reducing their reliance on chlorofluorocarbon based metered-dose inhalers as alternatives are developed, receive regulatory approval and are marketed for sale,

1. To authorize the levels of production and consumption for 2009 and 2010 necessary to satisfy essential uses of chlorofluorocarbons for metered-dose inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as specified in the annex to the present decision;
2. That Parties not operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 of the Montreal Protocol, when licensing, authorizing or allocating essential-use exemptions for a manufacturer of metereddose inhalers, shall ensure, in accordance with paragraph 1 (b) of decision IV/25, that pre‑1996 and post‑1996 stocks of controlled substances are taken into account such that no more than a one-year operational supply is maintained by the manufacturer;

Annex to decision XX/2

Essential-use authorizations for 2009 and 2010 of chlorofluorocarbons for metered-dose inhalers approved by the Twentieth Meeting of the Parties