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When is Asacol going to go generic

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Posted 9/18/2010 6:37 PM (GMT 0)
the asacol patent will end in july of 2013
Posted 9/20/2010 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
If you can get your doctor to switch you to Lialda, there is a pharmacy discount card from Shire. My script for Lialda was $150 after insurance...but then after the discount card the price dropped to $30 per month. It was a huge savings for me because my monthly Asacol was $100. I actually did a little better on Lialda because I was not consistend with taking my 3 asacols 3 times per day. 3 Lialda once a day was better for me. (Sadly, 5asa's just aren't working for me lonq term)
Posted 11/16/2010 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
Go Canadian.

Start with pharmacychecker.com and find who has the cheapest meds.
www.pharmacychecker.com

At the moment, BigMountainDrugs.com has it the cheapest at 54¢ a pill.
www.bigmountaindrugs.com/Drug/Asacol

However, go further and verify whether it's a legit Canadian pharmacy or not. Start by hunting around their website looking for the physical address and license number. Once you know the province in which the pharmacy is located, go to National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities, and go to the provincial regulatory authority.
www.napra.org

In the case of BigMountainDrugs.com, they are in BC so it's the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia.
www.bcpharmacists.org/

Here is their search capability.
https://eservices.bcpharmacists.org/psearch/

Post Edited (Noah_Bodie) : 11/16/2010 2:53:42 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/15/2010 9:49 PM (GMT 0)
I just wanted to let everybody know that as of December 31st, there will be no patient assistance program for Asacol. My husband has been getting assistance since he was diagnosed with UC in 2005. We are trying to find other ways to help get his medicine. We can't afford insurance so it will cost us $270/month. Does anybody use the online pharmacies without insurance or is there something else?
Posted 12/15/2010 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
Do you go to the Asacol website to get the patient assistance program or do you go thru www.needymeds.org?
Posted 12/15/2010 10:56 PM (GMT 0)
I bet they're getting rid of the assistance program for regular Asacol since they have introduced Asacol HD.  I would talk to your husband's doctor and see if he can switch your husband to Lialda, Apriso or Asacol HD, and see what type of patient assistance programs they have. 

Here's the info for Asacol HD savings card.  It says it will reduce your cost for the Rx to $50 or less once you activate the card:
http://www.altsampling.com/asacolactivate/

Here's the Apriso savings card.  It gives you up to $50 back each time you get it filled

http://www.aprisorx.com/apriso-savings-card-plan/index.aspx

Here's the info on Lialda's program.

http://www.lialda.com/save-money-on-lialda.aspx


You might also try contacting each drug company to see if they have specific programs for patients w/o insurance.

Posted 12/15/2010 11:17 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the links. They are very helpful
Posted 12/15/2010 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
Is Apriso much more expensive than Asacol? Fruitgirl, how come your doctor put you on it vs. Asacol? I have pancolitis too.
Posted 12/16/2010 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
My GI put me on it because I asked him to (I started on Asacol, and acheived remission when I was still on Asacol).  :) 

I wanted to try one of the once-daily ones and he said he'd write me a script for whichever one I wanted, since he thinks most mesalamines work the same. I chose Apriso over Lialda b/c I had heard that Apriso starts dissolving at a lower gut pH than Asacol (UCers tend to have lower gut pH than "normal" folks) and I was seeing Asacol pills with the medicine still in them in my poop. I am pretty sure that Lialda is time-release instead of pH release.

At the time, I did not know that the 4-pill max daily dose of Apriso has much less mesalamine than the 4 pill dose of Lialda or the 12 pill dose of Asacol. Once I found that out, I asked my doc why it was so much lower, and asked if it's perhaps because it's more effecient at dispersing the mesalamine in the gut. He said that's what Salix is saying, but who really knows if that's the case.

At any rate, it's doing a good job of keeping me in remission (along with the twice weekly enemas!), but I suspect that Asacol would do the same, since I was doing well on it before I switched.

I really do LOVE just taking it once a day. My sis (who is a doc) said she thought it would be a good thing for me to be on a once-daily med, b/c patients who have to take meds for chronic health problems are much more compliant if they have to take them once daily vs. multiple times daily. She said it's not because they don't want to, it's because they forget.

As for cost, it'll depend on your insurance. For me, all of the mesalamine drugs are tier II (we have a two tier system, not three), since none are generic, so all cost the same. It just ended up being a lot cheaper since Apriso had the savings card and Asacol didn't.

Posted 12/16/2010 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, there are two patient assistance programs right now for Asacol HD (same medicine as Asacol, only a larger pill so you don't have to take as many of them). You can call your doctor's office and ask if they have any of the patient assistance cards there or you can call Asacol HD directly at 1-866-379-9569. I called today and they registered me for a card right away. It only took about 10 minutes. They said I will receive my card in the mail in 6-8 weeks but I can go online and enter in my ID number and start receiving the benefit right away.

The card I'm getting will only cost me $50/month for my Asacol HD prescription. There is another savings card they are offering where you only have to pay $20 per month; however, that card has a limit of covering up to $140 of your med each month. So depending on how high of a dose you are on you have to see which would be a better deal.

amongstashes - Ask your husband's doctor if he could have a prescription for Asacol HD so he can utilize the patient assistance program. It does expire April 1, 2011 but at least it would help for a few months.
Posted 12/16/2010 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
Another merit of Canadian meds, they have a lot of generics not available in the U.S.
Posted 1/16/2011 2:17 AM (GMT 0)
Hi guys, I was diagnosed about 6 months ago and was put on 2400mg of asacol HD daily. My doc gave me the patient assistance card and I activated it 6 months ago. Since I went way over my deductable(colonoscopies are expensive!), my insurance paid for the pills.

I went to get my refill today, and the pharmacist said the card had expired. She called and they told her that for the new year they are now only taking $50 off the cost of the pills. I was expecting to pay $50, not $260!

Has anyone else had any problems using the asacol HD patient savings card?
Posted 1/16/2011 4:03 AM (GMT 0)
I set up the asacol hd savings card and i only get $50 off the cost! My new insurance plan has a combined yearly deduct of $3500 so after i pay that then asacol hd is $35 a month plus any doc visits or any hospital stay or procedures are free. My last insurance was $500 deduct then theyd only cover $2500 a year in asacol hd witch is like 3 months! Blue shield is killin me :(
Posted 1/16/2011 2:13 PM (GMT 0)
My deductible of $4500 just started over.  I went and picked up the Asacol the other day and I had to pay $646.00.  I can't afford it.  If it was working and I wasn't in a state  of constant flare I wouldn't care. I am going to have to go on an older less expensive drug.  Expensive disease. 
Posted 1/16/2011 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
Boxermom2. Check into Lialda. Very similar to asacol. They have a pharmacy card that you only pay $10 a month
Posted 1/16/2011 8:04 PM (GMT 0)
I had to pay almost $1200 for the Lialda even with a card.  My Humira cost  me $3500 a month out of pocket.  I have to pay cash money for it all until the deductible is met.  I think t he Rowasa is over $600.  I always complain about how much I have to pay but when I look at the fact I cost BCBS $90,000 I feel like I should do my part. 
Posted 1/17/2011 5:41 PM (GMT 0)
Here in Washington state, there is a free prescription DISCOUNT card (not insurance) available to any resident. If you're not in Washington, check into something similar in your state.
www.rx.wa.gov/

However, while I can get generic Prilosec (omeprazole) cheaper from them than anyone else, for Asacol I have to go Canadian, eh. See my earlier post in this thread on how to safely buy meds from Canada.
Posted 1/31/2011 6:48 PM (GMT 0)

I just tried to get my asacol HD using the discount card from Asacol.  I have used it for 5 months and it has worked great for $50.  I lost my job and my wife picked me up on her insurance, but her insurance has a $250 deductable for brand name.  It is mainly for generics.  I spoke with my GI and he prescribed me the max amount since I could get it for $50.  6 HD pills a day (eventhough I used 4 and have cut down to 2 now) but the price was $649 with no insurance. 

They just changed the card program so it is not the same anymore.  No more $50 or less, they cancelled the program as of January 1st 2011.  They have another program that they enrolled me in and with that program, it came out to $190.  They told me that depending on insurance and the program together, some people pay nothing, some pay as much as $300. 

The phone number to call and sign up for their new program is (800) 899-2330.  They signed me up over the phone and are going to send me a card in the mail.  Im not sure if I want to pay that yet or ask my doctor for something else that may come in a generic, but I guess I have to figure that out soon.

I have also realized that this disease will most definitely make you CRAZY!  I find myself going to the bathroom just before I leave anywhere (just in case) eventhough I havent had a bad flare in about 6 months.  Stress is a trigger and so is salsa! lol.

Posted 2/1/2011 5:09 AM (GMT 0)
Wow, that pisses me off about the Asacol HD program. Their customer help desk lied to me then. I'm really sick of customer help desks that are clueless and really no help at all. Thank god my health insurance from my new job just kicked in.
Posted 2/2/2011 2:37 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks isotired for your help. I will call that number.

Blessings
Posted 7/19/2011 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
I am 30, I'm paying $250/m, I take 4 pills 3x/day.
I have crohn's.
Also have expensive asthma meds.
Any suggestions?
To any who are interested, I'm only in remission when I eat gluten free, anyone else have this experience?
Posted 7/19/2011 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
Have you been tested for celiac disease, payingalot? You could call your doctor's office and see if they know of any patient assistance programs that would lower your co-pay each month for your meds.
Posted 7/19/2011 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
payingalot,

Take a look at my posts earlier in the thread. I have now made the switch to generic Asacol from Canada.

You take 4 pills, 3 times a day, times 30 days, that's 360 pills for $250, or 69¢ a pill.

Brand Asacol from Big Mountain would cost me 55¢ a pill.

Generic Asacol from Big Mountain now costs me 30¢ a pill.
Posted 7/25/2011 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
If you qualify for patient assistance thru Shire, you can get Lialda for free. They are mesalamine tablets and even better than Asacol because you just have to take the medication once a day. It's worth a try. Go the the Shire website for information. My medication was costing me a fortune without insurance, so it was well worth it for me to check and apply. If you don't qualify for the free meds, you can still qualify for a co-pay.
Posted 7/26/2011 8:04 AM (GMT 0)
Shire Cares just saved me with Pentasa (lost insurance). Household income was the basis (free vs lowered cost). Staff was very helpful and kind, minimal paperwork (some Dr. sigs required), received very quick approval. Anyone in need of help should look into it.
___________________________________________

41 yrs old
Diagnosed: 10/1992 (Crohn's / UC)
Pentasa: 500mg, 2 caps 4x daily
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