At the end of July, Atellas, the manufacturer of the drug Asamax, confirmed that it was ending production of the drug. The agent will not be reimbursed from the new year. This has caused concern among patients with inflammatory bowel disease for whom the drug is used. - There is no need to sow unnecessary panic. We have other drugs with mesalazine (the active ingredient in the drug Asamax)," Krzysztof Hadrian of the Department of Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine at UCK WUM said at the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Education Day.
Doctors reassure: end of Asamax production is not the end of mesalazine treatment
Published Nov. 29, 2024 09:09
fot. Piotr Wójcik
- The company said that due to business and strategic considerations, it will ensure the availability of Asamax only until the end of 2024 at a reduced, refundable price. After that, availability will depend only on inventory," Krzysztof Hadrian explained.
Information about the termination of Asamax reimbursement has been confirmed by the Health Ministry. The drug will not be on the reimbursement list, effective January 1, 2025. In response to these reports, panic set in among IBD patients treated with the drug. Posts on forums began to appear, with authors fearing a lack of access to the treatment for mild and moderate conditions.
- We have other drugs and there is availability of treatment. There are other preparations on the Polish market. We have granules, extended-release tablets, enteral tablets and topically acting drugs: suppositories and rectal infusions. Every patient who is currently using Asamax is probably facing a moment when he or she will have to talk to the doctor about changing the drug. It's a good idea to think about it today," the doctor advised.
The active substance of the drug Asamax is mesalazine. There are three other drugs marketed in Poland in the form of enteral tablets that contain it. The range of rectal suppositories is even larger.
