Hi
I started taking accord in March 300mg. I started getting stomach cramps as soon as I took them but recently regardless of what I eat I am having problems of bloating and painful stomach.
I know some people on here have had issues with accord. I would be grateful if anyone can confirm if their symptoms got worse a few months after starting accord or was issues instant.
Hi Evie,
You are not the first person to have had tummy issues with Accord imatinib.
Have a look at these posts by one of our forum members, Nimbus2.
https://cmlsupport.org.uk/post/57345
https://cmlsupport.org.uk/thread/13063/who-arranges-annual-national-cml-...
He has identified that Accord imatinib would give him tummy problems, and if I'm not mistaken I think it was narrowed down to macrogol in the "filler" materials of the pills.
So it might just be as simple as getting the pharmacy to supply a different generic brand?
David.
Hi Evie
I have been on three different generic versions of imatinib and I really found Accord intolerable. I had all sorts of stomach problems including cramps, heartburn and indigestion, so I asked the doctor to change the generic. She prescribed Mivesta and all the issues disappeared overnight.
Hopefully this helps a bit!
Best wishes
Martin
My haematologist said that the imatinib generic that produces the least side effects is Sandoz-why because it is made by Novartis the manufacturer of the original branded Glivec.If you know your history about big Pharma then a while back Sandoz of Spanish origin merged with Ceiba-Geigy.In terms of pharma kinetics apparantly generics differ from the original branded version in that one is of an alpha formulation and the other a beta formulation.
In UK NHS Hospitals or trusts will have special deals with specific generics producers so if you ask for a specific one or for a change due to side effects it might not be granted on cost grounds.Accord is well known as one of the cheaper ones but all these deals are confidential.A private prescription at Boots for Sandoz may well be charged out at £1k per month for a pack of 28 at 400mg daily.Branded Glivec would still come out at about £2k per month on the same dose.
Regards
John
Hi John,
NICE shows Accord imatinib is about £200 for 30 days supply of 400mg imatinib. Sandoz imatinib is around £1,600 - only a small discount from branded Glivec.
Drug pricing is much more complicated than the “list price”, and something I don’t have much detailed knowledge on. It’s not always unit priced like we might expect. But the base price for Accord is so much lower than others, I guess it’s no wonder that’s the one that is dispensed.
https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/imatinib-specialist-drug/medicinal-forms/
David.
