Rowasa Temporarily Unavailable w/no release date from Manufacturer

     My pharmacy just called and there is NO Rowasa available in SE Michigan and the manufacturer told them it is unavailable and they do not have a release date.  How can they do this?  People need this medication!!!! I am really really ticked right now and need this med.  The generic isn't working and I'm afraid that if I wait any longer this mini-flare is going to go into a full flare and I'll end up on Pred. again.  I just can't do that.  I am so upset!

Oh wow! That's awful! I think Tab's idea is good - can they check out of state with an affilliated (sp?) pharmacy?

I would call all the local pharmacies, and if you still can't find any, call the nearest big city and see if you can find some.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Trixy!

Mitz

It happened with my pharmacy a couple yrs ago, too. 1st they told me they could not get any; then when I got kind of hysterical they admitted that it was a warehouse problem. That's likely what your area is experiencing right now. It ended up that they got it back in stock three days later. Rite Aid can be very stupid with their explanations. Try not to panic, but keep after them or else inquire at other pharmacies. If you absolutely cannot get Rowasa for another few days, lube up the generic bottle with extra jelly & use that in the pinch. When this gets resolved, you'll heave a sigh of relief & hopefully have a good laugh, too. What more can we do with the absurd situations this blasted ailment puts us into? / Old Hat

That sucks you're going through this. Let us know what you find out from the company if you get ahold of them tomorrow. So, you find the brand name version to work better than the generic? I'm just wondering b/c I've never tried the brand name, only the generic.

Yeah, I just saw your other thread on the Rowasa vs. generic after I asked you that. Maybe I should try getting Rowasa next time instead of the generic. What was the recall for in 1999?

Rite-Aid is merging with Eckerd's maybe that's the reason that they are having problems. I like my locally owned pharmacy so much better than the Mega-pharmacies.

What about some hydrocortisone enemas for the time-being.... I wouldn't think that you would have any side-effects from it if you were only on them for a few weeks.

--Keith

That's outrageous!!!!!!!! U.S. pharmaceuticals are shameless! The stuff is available in Canada under name Salofalk-- so I do not understand why the U.S. market cannot maintain a steady supply, w/o resorting to a generic shipped from halfway across the world. I'm so sorry that this has happened to you, Trixy, but it could have been any of us who rely on this messed up American medical system. We recently did a thread with Knitty_Cat in Australia, who reports that 5-ASA rectal foam has been available THERE for several months, whereas we UCers in the U.S. still do not have access to it!!!!!!! This state of affairs seems to leave you with the choices to (1) use the generic mesalamine enemas, (2) ask your gastro to prescribe Cortifoam (10% steroid) if your flare is confined to rectum, or (3) ask about the possibility of using Entocort (budesonide) or Cortenemas (hydrocortisone) if flare is higher up, hopefully for just a few weeks. Let us know how you're doing & what you find out. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 Colazal daily; seem to be back in remission after July flare in descending colon)

Old Hat,

I just got a call from Alaven Pharm. They in deed have Rowasa and it is still being produced. There is no release date, but it is already released. He mentioned the part number change and that pharms probably didn't switch it over in their system which is why they show they don't have it. He asked for the numbers to both Pharms that I spoke with last night and is calling them to give them the informatin they need to get it ordered and back in stock. He said not to worry and that he will make sure he works with the pharms to make sure they are ordered. He said he would call me when he finds out which pharm can get it to me the fastest. He said the pharms that I spoke to last night didn't do their due diligence to find out where the product went and made up the stories they told me. He was disgusted and I'm sure he's going to lay into the Pharms when he calls. He apologized for the hassel I've gone through but thanked me for researching this and getting it taken care of. He was very very caring!

GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE from Alaven. Thanks everyone and I hope this helps someone else.

Sometimes the intermediaries are such jerks!  Rite Aid can really mess things up, including counting out the correct number of pills to put in the prescription bottle. Honestly! Thanks for pursuing this, Trixy, because you've helped all of us by getting after Alaven. Solvay should probably have put a notification out to pharmacists when they sold Rowasa; that was likely where the problem started. And, as Keith mentioned above, Rite Aid recently took over Eckerd, which may have added to their inefficiency. / Old Hat

I'm glad everything worked out and that the Alaven rep gave you such great service! Isn't it like a breath of fresh air when you actually get GOOD customer service from a company, especially after dealing with so many people who are unhelpful and seem uncaring.

Trixy - thanks for all of the info. Now, if I need Rowasa in the future, I'll know what to say if they tell me that they can't get it. It's so frustrating when people just don't care!

Cheers to Alaven for following through :)