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Cheaper alternatives to Asacol?


Sat, March 05, 2016 1:28 PM

Hi there, this is my first time posting in this forum so please pardon me if this topic has previously been discussed or if I’ve posted in the wrong section.

I was diagnosed with UC in September of 2015. The flare up I had been experiencing at the time was rapidly beaten down by the combination of Prednisone, Asacol, and Salofalk that I was prescribed. Needless to say, I was happy with the results. I am now taking 6 800mg Asacol per day to prevent relapses; my GE says this can be reduced to 4 doses per day after one year, but I will most likely be on this regimen for the rest of my life.

I have no problem with taking Asacol---there doesn’t seem to be any side effects and it doesn’t affect my lifestyle whatsoever. My only gripe with this medication is the COST: a 3-month supply runs me roughly $750 CAD at the Toronto pharmacy where I buy it. My employer provides some health benefits, but they cover less than half of the yearly costs.

I am aware that there are generic varieties of mesalamine available at a substantially lower cost. But when I asked the pharmacist about this, she emphatically stated “There are no alternatives [to Asacol].” There are three possibilities that I can see here:

1. She is unaware of the generic varieties (unlikely).
2. She has been specifically trained to tell patients that there are no alternatives, for many possible reasons on which I will not speculate.
3. There really are no alternatives to Asacol due to some unique and proprietary characteristic(s) such as a delayed-release coating.

If there is anyone out there who has some knowledge or experience with this subject, I would greatly appreciate your feedback. But if you are going to respond, please respond directly to my question---I don’t need suggestions for prescription-free lifestyle changes or naturopathic remedies.

Thanks and kindest regards!

FPO chumpy
Joined Mar 5, 2016

Wed, June 01, 2016 2:58 PM

I know this post is dated a few months back, but let me tell you a bit on my story. I took Asacol for about 12 years, which has been treating my UC and thankfully never had issues and thankfully my insurance was able to let me. About a year ago, just because my internal doctor decided to do full labs, I'm now battling liver disease. This is no way in any form to scare you, but please do yourself a favor and always get blood tested. Asacol has given me a drug induced liver damage. Now, I can't take any medicine and am feeling all symptoms. Of course, relating back to your question if there was an alternative, I've always been told no but if your insurance let's you have this medicine, do it but just beware of the side effects of any medicine your prescribed. 

Feel better.

FPO turkke
Joined Jun 1, 2016

Fri, March 18, 2016 7:45 PM

Hey there, I recently had to switch from Asacol to Balsalazide Disodium. My new insurance would not approve asacol at $1000 a month, and I certainly cannot afford to pay that out of pocket so my GI helped me find an alternative. This is my first day taking it and I'm at half the dose I was on with asacol so I am concerned about having a flare but it's worth a try considering the price. Hope you find a good alternative!

FPO kloida1
Joined Mar 18, 2016

Sat, March 12, 2016 2:20 PM

Hi -- I posted a previous response but don't see it.  Hmmm.  

I took Asacol (and then Asacol HD) for years.  My doc switched me to Delzicol in December, and then to Apriso in January (because insurance no longer covered Delzicol). In my experience, Apriso works exactly the same although I'm not sure if it's less expensive.  It may be there is no generic Asacol, just other name brands of mesalamine.  Might be worth checking out Apriso or Delzicol are less expensive though.  Fair warning, the Apriso pills are even bigger than the Asacol HD!

FPO chsx43a
Joined Sep 13, 2009

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