As of 06 Nov 2026 12:56 UTC. Status is always as stated in the latest recorded notice; the sources do not publish resolution, so nothing on this page says a medicine is back — see methodology.
Presentations, as stated in the latest recorded notice
Each line is re-expressed from MSN/2024/048 (25 Apr 2024): the product named, the status the source stated, and the expected-back phrase kept as written. Not the source's sentence, and not an observation of stock.
| Presentation | Status, as stated | Expected back, as stated | Stated in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asacol® 400mg MR gastro-resistant tablets (pack size 168)affected product · inferred from phrasing | Discontinued, as stated | — not stated for this line | notice of 25 Apr 2024 |
| Asacol® 400mg MR gastro-resistant tablets (pack size 84)affected product · inferred from phrasing | Discontinued, as stated | — not stated for this line | notice of 25 Apr 2024 |
| Mesalazine (Octasa® MR) 400mg tabletsnamed by the source as remaining available · inferred from phrasing | Stated as available | — not stated for this line | notice of 25 Apr 2024 |
| Mesalazine (Asacol®) 800mg MR gastro-resistant tabletsnamed by the source as remaining available · inferred from phrasing | Stated as available | — not stated for this line | notice of 25 Apr 2024 |
| Other mesalazine tablet preparations, with different release characteristicsclass-level statement by the source, not a named product · inferred from phrasing | Stated as available | — not stated for this line | notice of 25 Apr 2024 |
Protocol in force
No Serious Shortage Protocol matched to this name is in force on the NHSBSA register. Matching is by name until identifier coding lands.
Named in the source as remaining available
- Mesalazine (Octasa® MR) 400mg tablets — named by the source as remaining available (inferred from phrasing)
- Mesalazine (Asacol®) 800mg MR gastro-resistant tablets — named by the source as remaining available (inferred from phrasing)
Only names the source itself listed, as it listed them (source post ↗). No substitution, dosing or counselling advice is given here or implied.
Identifiers — Mesalazine
BNF chemical and SNOMED identifiers from NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis (Open Government Licence), matched by name (presentation name), confidence 0.90 — grouping under review where marked Release Jul 2026.
BNF SNOMED mapping, NHSBSA Copyright 2026; Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Monthly Administrative Data, NHSBSA Copyright 2026. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence.
History
Notified short 2 times on record since 2022 — a recurring shortage spanning 2.2 years. We record when a shortage is declared, not when stock returns — the source doesn't publish that. An update sharing a reference counts as one episode.
| Issued | Notice | Kind | Tier | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 2024 | Medicine Supply Notification: Mesalazine (Asacol® ) 400mg MR gastro-resistant tablets | Supply notification | Tier 2 | MSN/2024/048 |
| 10 Feb 2022 | Medicine Supply Notification: Mesalazine (Asacol® ) 400mg and 800mg MR gastro-resistant tablets | Supply notification | Tier 2 | MSN/2022/007 |
Also recorded under
Bracketed names seen in this medicine's notice titles: asacol. Grouping is by the head name in each title; brand and generic names may still sit on separate pages until identifier coding refines it — see the A–Z.
Scotland — separate record
NHS Scotland issues its own Medicine Supply Alert Notices. These match this medicine's name; they are shown beside, never added to, the England record.
- MSAN(2024)18 Mesalazine (Asacol®) 400mg MR gastro-resistant tablets · issued 27 Apr 2024 · valid until discontinued - stock to be exhausted by late April 2024, as stated · matched by name PDF ↗
- MSAN(2020)33 Salofalk® (mesalazine) 500mg and 1g suppositories – update to MSAN (2020)23 · issued 30 Apr 2020 · valid until End July 2020, as stated · matched by name PDF ↗
- MSAN(2020)23 Salofalk® (mesalazine) 500mg and 1g suppositories – update to MSAN (2019)12 · issued 16 Apr 2020 · valid until End July 2020, as stated · matched by name PDF ↗
- MSAN(2020)14 Salofalk® (mesalazine) 500mg and 1g suppositories – update to MSAN (2019)12 · issued 12 Mar 2020 · valid until mid-September 2020, as stated · matched by name PDF ↗