Mesalamine
Brand names: Canasa, Mesalamine, Mesalamine Er, Pentasa, Apriso, Delzicol, Lialda, Mesalamine Dr
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 412,948
- Medicare drug cost
- $180.4M
- Average cost per prescription
- $437
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 13,665
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Mesalamine extended-release capsules are indicated for the induction of remission and for the treatment of mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis in adult patients.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated June 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Who prescribes it
- Gastroenterology 61.2%
- Nurse Practitioners 14.8%
- Physician Assistants 9.0%
- Internal Medicine 7.2%
- Family Medicine 4.6%
- Colorectal Surgery 1.1%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.6%
- General Practice 0.4%
- General Surgery 0.3%
- Hospitalist 0.2%
- Hepatology 0.1%
- Infectious Disease 0.1%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions fell 9% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Puerto Rico +19%
- Washington +12%
- Oregon +3%
- California −2%
- Arizona −3%
- West Virginia (smallest change) −28%
- Tennessee (smallest change) −23%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 4 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Aurobindo Pharma Limited
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 0.375 g | blue capsule, 24 mm | MSM 375 |
Klm Laboratories Private Limited
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 4 g | white suspension | |
Sandoz Inc
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 250 mg | blue capsule, 21 mm | DG05 |
| 500 mg | blue capsule, 25 mm | DG09 |
Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 g | red oval tablet, 10 mm | 711 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
4 recalls since 2020
- Feb 2024 · Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc · Class II
Failed Dissolution Specifications: Out of specification for dissolution. - Jan 2024 · Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc · Class II
CGMP Deviations: Microbial contamination was reported in stagnant water in the duct of the manufacturing equipment. - Oct 2020 · Teva Pharmaceuticals USA · Class II
Failed Dissolution Specifications: Out-of-specification dissolution results were obtained during stability testing. - Feb 2020 · Teva Pharmaceuticals USA · Class II
Failed Dissolution Specifications: Low out of specification dissolution result observed during stability testing.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.