Patient Name
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Town
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Practice name
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NHS Number:
Patient Number:
DOB:
<Date>
Dear <patient name>
Re: Medication review
As part of a review to bring prescribing in-line with national and local
guidance, the practice is reviewing the choice of medication for our patients.
There are lots of different companies making mesalazine at the moment.
To avoid confusion, or any effect on your treatment, mesalazine must always
be prescribed by its brand name (for example Asacol® MR or Mesren® MR,
Mezavant® XL, Pentasa®, Salofalk®) and not by its generic medicine name
of mesalazine.
Only 400mg Mesren® MR and 400mg Asacol® MR are the same and can be
interchanged. Other brands are very different and should not be switched.
We have checked your records, and if needed asked your pharmacy to
establish which brand of mesalazine you normally use, and your next
prescription will be for 400mg Mesren® MR.
To ensure consistency, all new and existing patients prescribed 400mg
Asacol® MR tablets will be switched to 400mg Mesren® MR tablets.
These are the only mesalazine tablets which work in exactly the same way as
each other. Both are modified release formulations, they have similar side
effects and you should not notice any difference in the management of your
condition.
If you have any concerns about this change, please contact the surgery.
Yours sincerely,
Dr ……………………………..