Your Patients Need Uceris — Here's How to Help Them Get It

You've written the prescription. The clinical rationale is sound. Your patient's ulcerative colitis responds well to Budesonide. But then they call back: "My pharmacy can't get it."

This scenario has become increasingly common since 2022, when Uceris supply disruptions first began affecting patients nationwide. As a provider, you're in a unique position to help — not just by prescribing alternatives, but by proactively guiding patients through the availability landscape.

This guide offers five concrete steps you can take, along with alternative therapy options and workflow tips to minimize disruptions to your patients' care.

Current Uceris Availability

As of early 2026, Uceris availability varies by formulation:

• Extended-release tablets (9 mg): Generally available, with better stock for generic Budesonide ER than brand-name Uceris. Multiple generic manufacturers contribute to a more stable supply.
• Rectal foam (2 mg/actuation): Continues to experience intermittent shortages. Specialty pharmacies and independent pharmacies tend to maintain better stock than large retail chains. Generic foam is not widely available.

Geographically, urban areas with more pharmacy options have better access. Rural patients and those relying on a single local pharmacy are disproportionately affected.

Why Patients Can't Find Uceris

Understanding the root causes helps you advise patients more effectively:

Manufacturing Complexity

The rectal foam is a metered-dose aerosol — a fundamentally different product from a compressed tablet. It requires pressurized filling equipment, specialized packaging, and extensive quality testing. Few manufacturers worldwide have this capability, creating a fragile supply chain.

Distributor Allocation Limits

When supply is constrained, wholesalers implement allocation limits that cap how much any single pharmacy can order. This means even pharmacies that want to stock Uceris may be unable to order enough to meet patient demand.

Insurance-Driven Delays

Prior authorization requirements, step therapy mandates, and formulary restrictions add time between prescribing and dispensing. If a pharmacy doesn't stock Uceris routinely (because demand is unpredictable), it may not be on the shelf when the PA finally clears.

Patient Awareness Gaps

Many patients don't know they can check multiple pharmacies, request transfers, or use specialty/mail-order options. They go to their usual pharmacy, are told it's unavailable, and call your office not knowing what to do next.

5 Steps Providers Can Take

Step 1: Verify Stock Before Sending the Prescription

The single most impactful step you can take is checking pharmacy availability before the patient leaves your office. Medfinder for Providers allows your clinical team to search for pharmacies with Uceris in stock by location in real time.

By directing the prescription to a pharmacy with confirmed stock, you eliminate the most common failure point — the patient arriving at a pharmacy that doesn't have the medication.

Consider making this a standard step in your prescribing workflow for any medication known to have supply issues.

Step 2: Prescribe Generics When Clinically Appropriate

For patients who need Budesonide ER tablets, specify that generic substitution is permitted (or prescribe generically). Generic Budesonide ER 9 mg is:

• Therapeutically equivalent to brand Uceris tablets
• Available from multiple manufacturers
• Significantly less expensive ($300-$600 vs. $1,200-$1,800/month)
• More consistently in stock at retail pharmacies

For patients currently on brand-name Uceris tablets with no clinical reason to avoid generics, proactively discussing the switch can prevent future availability issues.

Step 3: Submit Prior Authorization Proactively

Don't wait for the pharmacy to process the claim and get a rejection. If you know Uceris requires PA on the patient's plan:

• Submit the PA at the time of prescribing
• Use template letters with the key clinical documentation already populated
• Include documentation of previous Mesalamine trials or medical necessity for Budesonide as first-line
• Follow up within 48-72 hours if you haven't heard back

Many PA delays are caused by incomplete submissions. Having a standardized process reduces turnaround time from weeks to days.

Step 4: Build a Specialty Pharmacy Network

Identify 2-3 specialty pharmacies in your area (or nationally accessible mail-order options) that reliably stock GI medications. Benefits include:

• More consistent Uceris supply, especially for the foam
• Staff experienced with specialty medications and PA processes
• Often willing to work directly with your office on coordination
• Some offer delivery services

Keep these pharmacy names and phone numbers accessible to your clinical staff so they can offer them to patients immediately when the usual pharmacy is out of stock.

Step 5: Discuss Contingency Plans at Prescribing

Set expectations with patients upfront:

• "Uceris can sometimes be hard to find. Here's what to do if your pharmacy is out of stock..."
• Provide a printed list of alternative pharmacies or the Medfinder website (medfinder.com/providers)
• Discuss what alternative medication you would recommend if Uceris remains unavailable
• Emphasize the importance of not stopping corticosteroids abruptly — patients need to contact your office rather than simply going without

This conversation takes 60 seconds and prevents panicked after-hours calls when a patient runs out.

Alternative Therapy Options

When Uceris is truly unavailable for a patient, here are evidence-based alternatives organized by clinical scenario:

For Distal UC (Proctitis/Left-Sided)

• Mesalamine rectal (Canasa suppositories, Rowasa enema) — first-line for mild to moderate distal UC
• Hydrocortisone rectal foam (Cortifoam) — topical steroid alternative to Budesonide foam; more systemic absorption but widely available
• Hydrocortisone rectal enema (Cortenema) — alternative delivery method for patients who prefer enemas

For Extensive or Pan-Colonic UC

• Mesalamine oral (Lialda, Apriso, Pentasa, Delzicol) — first-line maintenance therapy
• Generic Budesonide ER tablets — same drug as Uceris, more available
• Prednisone — short-term systemic steroid for moderate-severe flares; requires taper

For Steroid-Refractory or Steroid-Dependent Patients

• Consider escalation to immunomodulators (Azathioprine, 6-MP) or biologics/small molecules (Entyvio, Rinvoq, Zeposia, Humira/biosimilars)
• Referral to GI specialist if managed in primary care

For patient-facing information on alternatives: Alternatives to Uceris.

Workflow Tips for Your Practice

Here are some practical ways to integrate shortage management into your daily workflow:

Designate a Medication Access Point Person

Assign one team member (nurse, MA, or pharmacy liaison) to handle medication access issues. This person can:

• Check Medfinder for stock before prescriptions are sent
• Submit and track prior authorizations
• Maintain the specialty pharmacy contact list
• Triage patient calls about medication access

Create a Shortage Medication Alert List

Maintain a short list of medications with known supply issues (currently including Uceris rectal foam). When a clinician prescribes from this list, it triggers the additional verification step described above.

Use E-Prescribing Notes

When sending electronic prescriptions for Uceris, consider adding a pharmacy note: "If brand Uceris is unavailable, generic Budesonide ER is acceptable" (if clinically appropriate). This gives the pharmacist immediate flexibility without requiring a callback.

Track and Communicate

When patients report difficulty filling Uceris, document it. If you see a pattern in your region, this information can inform prescribing decisions for other patients and help you proactively steer toward more available alternatives.

Final Thoughts

Medication shortages are a systemic problem, but their impact on individual patients is deeply personal. A UC patient who can't fill their Uceris prescription may face worsening symptoms, emergency department visits, and significant anxiety.

By building availability checking into your prescribing workflow, maintaining alternative pharmacy contacts, and having contingency conversations upfront, you can dramatically reduce the likelihood that your patients fall through the cracks.

Start by bookmarking Medfinder for Providers — and share it with your clinical team.