Hi Dolores,

Unfortunately the answer to your question is, No. I've taken Asacol for 10 years and was surprised after the first 5 that there wasn't a generic so I asked my pharmacist and my doctor about it. The answer I got from both was that pharmaceuticals don't go generic unless there is a large enough universe of people taking the drug to make it "worth while" for the pharm company. Since there are only a few hundred thousand people who specifically take Asacol the companies just wouldn't make enough money if they went generic.

Unfortunately, it's all about making money rather than making real, helpful treatments affordable for the people who need to take them. I currently pay more nearly $400/mo. for my Asacol Rx and am trying many other things to control my symptoms to see if I can't reduce or get off it all together.

If you need some help paying for your Asacol, you might try contacting P&G - proctor and gamble - to discuss their program that helps patients get a month or so of the drug free.

Good luck,

Elizabeth

happy

11/27/09 6:58am

Yes generic equvilent of asacol is available and it is also called as Mesalamine. You can even find it at International Drug Mart

GI doc

1/15/10 8:37am

What make asacol work is that it is released in the colon by the action of pH changes.  Mesalamine is the active ingredient, but if it is mearly ingested without the delivery mechanism, it wont work properly.  I would make sure that any generic mesalamine drug has the appropriate delivery mechanism.

Styxiv

3/27/10 11:28am

I guess the REAL answer to this question is yes AND no.  NO as far as pills YES and far as rectal.  Why the diffrence I don't know.  Seems if its profitable to make the enima form it would be MORE so for the pill form and there has to be TWICE the amount of poeple who would take a pill or an enima come on..