I don't think so.. call another CVS. I just checked Medco and they show it available in 400 and 800mg.

If this is indeed true (hard to believe, tho!) there is Lialda - same med., different dosage, more $.

Asacol's patent expires in 2013. Coincidence? A generic will probably arrive.

expires in August, but usually don't cut off name brand when generic comes out? did you call your insurance company?? Medco still shows it available

This was my pharmacy plan calling.

I tried to find something, but could find nothing to indicate that Asacol was being pulled from the market. There would be an FDA notice. I wonder if your pharmacy meant there was a problem with your plan and coverage? But I would not expect that until the patent expires, forcing you to accept generic. That's assuming there will be one. Perhaps therecwas a glitch regarding your drug coverage. Last year I had a problem where my plan denied that I had any medical coverage after a software upgrade. Took a month to sort out.

My husband's been on it for years, and just recently refilled his Rx.

Jan

Jan, they have been sneaky in the past claiming that generics are unavalable and thus forcing me to pay the higher co-payments for name brand. So I wouldn't put it past them. This is CVS-Caremark BTW.

Speaking of CVS, this article came out this week: Consumer Reports Comparison of Rx Drug Prices.

CVS-Caremark is off-the-charts highest, so I'm not surprised to see the comment about them trying to force a higher co-pay.

The variation in price differences from one place to the next is shocking and reeks of corporate greed. I'll be interested to see the article in Consumer Reports when it is released. I am really, really grateful for good insurance, but I know that may not always be the case.

Yes, the company that manufactures Asacol has replaced it with Delzicol. There is a press release that states the company was required to pull Asacol after approval of Delzicol. As another member posted, the patent for Asacol will expire July 2013. As you can see from the press release, Asacol accounts for $743 million of the company's revenue. So, it seems they did not want to lose that money. I still do not fully understand the rationale for creating a new branded drug; it is possible that the generic asacol will not be able to be released by other companies because it has been withdrawn from the market. I simply do not know.

The active ingredient is the same between Asacol and Delzicol. There are 2 inactive ingredients that have changed, according to the full prescribing information for both drugs. I happened to look into this today when my father called because he received a letter from his pharmacy. He has Crohn's disease and I have ulcerative colitis. We both rely on our asacol very much.

http://www.reuters.com/article...dUSBRE9170PB20130208

So, it appears that it is official that Delzicol is replacing Asacol, as it is bioequivalent.

http://www.ashp.org/DrugShorta...ulletin.aspx?id=1017

So, it is not as if there will be no treatment available. I agree though, that it seems to be sort of an "end run" to avoid losing market share.

http://www.istockanalyst.com/f...-of-potential-upside

Jan

this is common in the pharma world..as a previous pharma sales rep. Companies typically "revamp" the original product when it is losing it's patent to extend the amount of time $$$ comes in... There will still be a generic version available of the original product, but, the new product which will usually be an Extended Release Version or Immediate Release will be branded..and thus much more expensive.

After a patent expires the invention becomes public domain, pharmaceuticals can be replaced by generics using the identical chemistry disclosed in the patent.