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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 7/7/2010 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
Well I finally heard back from Shire on my financial help application for Pentasa. They denied me. I guess they've changed the 'rules' and no longer can legally accept applications for Pentasa for those with Crohn's. Basically they've decided that it's not an approved drug for CD. Anyways, I'm really bummed. Now what am I supposed to do? I'm waiting for a call back from my GI to see if he suggests any other plan. There's getting it from Canada or there's Remicade. If he decides to try the Canada for the time being I need to find out what pharmacies his other patients use for the rx. I don't know if Remicade will be covered until after my pre-existing period is over (October). This bites.
Posted 7/7/2010 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
:-(

Sorry, sg girl.
Posted 7/7/2010 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
What is it used for other than Crohns? Did they deny you based on your finances or because of Crohns?
Posted 7/7/2010 9:31 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks. They denied me because of Crohn's. I guess it's only a UC approved drug now.
Posted 7/7/2010 9:41 PM (GMT 0)
That's BS, so sorry.
Posted 7/7/2010 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
That's so weird. I could have sworn that Pentasa was a Crohn's drug...sucks that they've made it only a UC drug.

Have you looked into maybe getting your Pentasa from Costco...? I've never used it, but I've heard from people that do the prescriptions run pretty cheap. Might be something worth looking into?
Posted 7/7/2010 9:59 PM (GMT 0)
Recommendation to buy Pentassa?? You may wish to look at this posting, started by me. Buying Pentasta is not nearly as simple as you would think or want. David
Posted 7/7/2010 11:09 PM (GMT 0)
That's weird my Daughter was diagnosed Crohns/Colitis in 1999 and spent 4 years on Pentasa, not that it did much good. Since 2003 she has been on Asacol along with Imuran and Remicade.

tooth - Pentasa even at Costco would be an outrageous price because there is no generic for it.
Very expensive maintenance med!! Last my Daughter used it in 2003 it ran $250+ a month. We had prescription insurance. Can't fathom what it's cost is now in 2010.
Posted 7/7/2010 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
You can always petition your insurance, if you GI states it is the best drug that will provide the best results. But Canada isn't a bad option.
Posted 7/7/2010 11:31 PM (GMT 0)
a few years ago i went to a CCFA sponsored conference. it was a good educational seminar. there two doctors, in separate break out sessions, totally independent of one another, both said that for CD, the sulfa derivative drugs (asacol, pentasa, colazal, etc) are no better, statistically, than a placebo. so basically no one with CD really clinically responds to these drugs. i was on almost all of them for over a decade and i never felt they did anything for me. they are basically the same, just different fillers thus the different names by different companies.

however for UC they are supposed to help...
Posted 7/8/2010 12:36 AM (GMT 0)
I wonder what Sunanda Kane has to say about the effectiveness of sulfas on CD.
Posted 7/8/2010 12:54 PM (GMT 0)
Well...
The placebo rates are usually high enough to give 5-ASA a try.

But, once you believe it's placebo, it's not sopposed to work anymore. My sister has CD too, and is only on pentasa, and I'm NOT saying that to her. She is doing very well.

In the other hand many peaple benefits from this meds (maybe they are getting benefits from the "placebo effect"), and any help is welcomed.
Posted 7/8/2010 1:55 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, none of the mesalamine drugs (Pentasa, Asacol, etc.) ever received an FDA indication for use in Crohn's disease because none was proven more effective than placebo in clinical trials in people with Crohn's. They were more efficacious in ulcerative colitis, and therefore were approved for that indication. They are often used off label for people with Crohn's, I think because they have relatively low side effect risks and so doctors feel why not try them because they might help. But the evidence base for their use in Crohn's is poor.
Posted 7/8/2010 4:16 PM (GMT 0)
If you have fistulizing crohns I would be on remicade anyway. I just answered your other post, and I think you need to see your GI and make a new plan in light of new symptoms and med plan. Before Pentasa came out salazaphyrine was the drug of choice in its catagory. I was on it for years along with prednisone.

Julia
Posted 7/8/2010 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
If you have CD in your large intestine then Asacol, etc. are likely going to help. If it's in the small intestine or higher, then they won't.
Posted 7/8/2010 6:11 PM (GMT 0)

GDen said...
If you have CD in your large intestine then Asacol, etc. are likely going to help. If it's in the small intestine or higher, then they won't.

I've never heard that before, do you have a link?

The difference between CD and UC isn't simply location of disease - there is also a very significant difference in the pathology.  The inflammation in CD goes deeper into the wall of the intestine that it does in UC.  This could explain why a topical formulation such as the ASA aren't (as) effective for CD, but that's just a guess...

Posted 7/8/2010 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
aww, im so sorry!
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