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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 1/5/2014 9:37 AM (GMT 0)
Is there a generic or formulary out there for pentasa. The drug is getting more and more expensive every time I get a refill. I take 3gms per day and can't get a break from the script service I have to use.
Posted 1/5/2014 12:57 PM (GMT 0)
Not that I'm aware of, sorry.
Posted 1/5/2014 5:31 PM (GMT 0)
Just stop taking it. Don't spend so much money on a medication that has never been approved for use in Crohn's disease. It's a very expensive placebo. If your insurance covers it, I understand the mentality of "well, it *might* help, so I'm gonna take it...." But if you have to pay significant money out of pocket, why bother?
Posted 1/5/2014 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
Beave has a valid point, tbh. But I will try to answer your question anyway.

There are generics for mesalamine, which is the active ingredient in Pentasa. However, Pentasa is the only mesalamine specifically designed to release throughout the entire tract. It's all in the coating; Asacol and Lialda have a coating which dissolves at a pH of around 7, ie in the terminal ileum and colon, while other mesalamines with a slightly lower pH of 6 will start to release their contents from the jejunum onwards. Pentasa isn't pH-dependent and will release its contents from duodenum to rectum.

Reason I mention all this is because if you want to go generic, you should try to find a med which will be released where your disease is. Or you could just be like the The British Society of Gastroenterology and ignore subtleties like that entirely:

www.clinicalpharmacy.org.uk/volume1_2/December/review.pdf

The above link is for UC unfortunately, but in a nutshell it shows that the generic versions of Asacol are just as effective as Asacol.
Posted 1/5/2014 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
Beave, you may be right that Pentasa is an expensive placebo, but it is so hard to figure that out on an individual basis. When I was first diagnosed, I had Crohn's ulcers in my terminal ileum and the first part of my colon. I have been taking Pentasa since 2007. While I have continued to have on and off issues with my TI, the Crohn's has never again appeared in my colon...so I can't prove it's the Pentasa that is protecting my colon, but I sure don't want to try going off it to find out.
Pud35...try contacting Shire phamaceuticals, the maker of Pentasa and see if they can help you out with the cost. When I didn't have prescription coverage, I was able to get it for free, but I know it's more complicated when you have some prescription coverage, but just not good coverage.
Posted 1/6/2014 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
gumby44, you're right - it's very hard, if not impossible, to tell whether or not it's working for an individual.

When you're dealing with a disease that can come and go with no known reasons, how can you determine whether or not a med is helping? That's why they do controlled studies with large numbers of people and with placebo controls. And meta-analysis of those studies shows that Pentasa and the other mesalamine/5-ASA drugs are no better than placebo.

So if it were my money being spent, I'd spend it on something with a more proven track record.
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