Feel free to discuss any topic of general interest, so long as nothing you post here is likely to be interpreted as insulting, and/or inflammatory, nor clearly designed to provoke any individual or group. Please be considerate of others feelings, and they will be considerate of yours.
Just thought I would let you know that ten days ago I switched from Entocort one pill a day to Budez CR (generic Entocort) "budesonide controlled released capsules" one pill per day. So far so good ..... and a lot cheaper.
I had ordered them by post from www.alldaychemists.com. The generic is made by Sun Pharmaceutical Ind Ltd.
Strange, I just checked the link and got onto the site no problem. By pulling down the tab "all US brands" and scrolling down to "Entocort EC" and clicking it I still get directed to Budez CR. I am using Firefox as my search engine - not sure if that makes a difference This is an international site based, I believe, in India.
Hopefully around this time next year we'll hear rumblings (pun intended) of an Entocort generic in the US. The FDA Orange Book shows the initial exclusive use patent on Entocort expires in May 2011 which will then allow the makers of generic drugs to sell in the US. If anyone is interested, here's the FDA Orange Book link:
I realize that the site might sound "fishy", but believe it or not, Sun Pharmaceutical manufactures a lot of drugs for some of the biggest phamaceutical companies, all over the world. Those drugs that eventually make it into this country, are approved by the FDA, (they have to be).
Your pharmacist is correct - the Budez CR is not FDA approved, obviously, since it is illegal to sell generic budesonide in the U. S. That's why you have to order it from outside the U. S., if you want to use it. Other members are also using this drug, and so far, I haven't heard anyone say that it was not just as effective as the Entocort EC that it mimics. To anyone who is forced to pay the full cost of Entocort EC, in this country, at least, Budez CR looks very, very appealing, unless they happen to be a millionaire.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Checked the site again.. the price is about the same as my copay.. if we lose our retiree prescription benefits at the end of the year... which looks likely with obamacare enacted... will be looking into that site for all of our stuff. Thanks for letting me know it is legit.
grannyh
GrannyH wrote:.. the price is about the same as my copay..
I suspect that tells us a lot about the actual cost to Big Pharma, for sourcing Entocort EC. Obviously the pharmacy, (all day chemist), makes a retail profit on their sales of Budez CR, and that's on top of the wholesale profit that Sun Pharmaceutical made when they manufactured it. It's hard to feel sorry for AstraZeneca, and Promethius Laboratories, (which was selected in 2005 to be the exclusive marketing, sales, and distribution agent for Entocort EC). And, we know that the insurance companies aren't losing any money on these deals in the long run, (they have so many people on their payrolls, with so many of the people at the top making unbelievable amounts of money, how could they be paying anything for the drugs?)
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
The retail price for entocort on my receipt is about 1200! My cost with insurance is 35 or 50... don't know it varies... the actual cost to manufacture must be mere pennies ...
grannyh
Hi all, fyi I have been using this same generic as Ant with great success. It works just as well as the brandname. The interesting thing is I originally ordered it from India (no need for a script) and also send my script to Canada (with my pcp's blessing) to see if it was the same generic sold there and it is. So what you get from Canada is the identical product from India. The cost for me is a little cheaper through Canada and it arrives sooner. I think I pay $68 for 100 compared to $250 copay in the states. I'm on 1 a day but should soon be off. I'm pacing my tapering around important events in my life and I cannot risk a flare for the next 3 months. Hope this helps you feel better about using it. JoAnn
It just hit me that I think Obamacare law makes it some kind of crime to import drugs from outside of the US. Are we talking about risking a felony charge? Or is it a slap on the wrist with a promise not to do it again?
grannyh
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
..... and a lot cheaper.
By pulling down the tab "all US brands" and scrolling down to "Entocort EC" and clicking it I still get directed to Budez CR. I am using Firefox as my search engine - not sure if that makes a difference 
This is an international site based, I believe, in India. 
