What Is Pancreaze? Uses, Dosage, and What You Need to Know in 2026

Pancreaze is a prescription medication that helps people with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) digest their food properly. If your pancreas can't make enough digestive enzymes on its own — due to cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, or surgery — Pancreaze replaces those enzymes so your body can absorb nutrients from the food you eat.

This guide covers everything you need to know about Pancreaze: what it is, what it's used for, how to take it, available strengths, dosage guidelines, storage, and what to discuss with your doctor.

What Is Pancreaze?

Pancreaze is a brand-name prescription medication containing pancrelipase — a mixture of three digestive enzymes extracted from porcine (pig) pancreas tissue:

• Lipase — breaks down fats
• Protease — breaks down proteins
• Amylase — breaks down carbohydrates

Pancreaze was FDA-approved in April 2010 and is currently manufactured by VIVUS LLC. It is classified as a pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) and a digestive enzyme supplement.

Pancreaze comes as delayed-release capsules. Each capsule contains enteric-coated microtablets — tiny beads approximately 2 mm in diameter — that are designed to pass through the stomach intact and release enzymes in the small intestine, where digestion occurs.

What Is Pancreaze Used For?

Pancreaze is FDA-approved to treat exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in adults and children — including infants. EPI is a condition where the pancreas cannot produce sufficient amounts of digestive enzymes to properly break down food.

Common causes of EPI that may require Pancreaze include:

• Cystic fibrosis (CF) — EPI occurs in the majority of CF patients due to blockage of the pancreatic ducts
• Chronic pancreatitis — long-term inflammation destroys enzyme-producing cells
• Pancreatic cancer — tumors can block enzyme secretion
• Pancreatectomy — surgical removal of all or part of the pancreas
• Other pancreatic disorders — including inflammatory bowel disease in some patients

Without adequate enzyme replacement, EPI causes malabsorption — your body can't absorb fats, proteins, and carbohydrates properly. This leads to fatty, foul-smelling stools (steatorrhea), bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and serious nutritional deficiencies and weight loss over time.

What Strengths Does Pancreaze Come In?

Pancreaze is available in six strengths, identified by their lipase unit content and MT (microtablet) number printed on the capsule:

• Pancreaze MT 2: 2,600 lipase units / 8,800 protease units / 15,200 amylase units
• Pancreaze MT 4: 4,200 lipase units / 14,200 protease units / 24,600 amylase units
• Pancreaze MT 10: 10,500 lipase units / 35,500 protease units / 61,500 amylase units
• Pancreaze MT 16: 16,800 lipase units (specific protease and amylase per label)
• Pancreaze MT 21: 21,000 lipase units (specific protease and amylase per label)
• Pancreaze MT 37: 37,000 lipase units / 97,300 protease units / 149,900 amylase units

All six strengths use a phthalate-free enteric coating formulation. Dosing is based on lipase units — your prescriber will calculate the right strength and number of capsules per meal based on your body weight and fat intake.

How to Take Pancreaze

Pancreaze must be taken with every meal and every snack — including small snacks. Key instructions:

• Do NOT crush or chew the capsules or their contents. Crushing destroys the enteric coating and releases enzymes prematurely, which can irritate your mouth.
• Swallow whole with plenty of water or juice.
• If you can't swallow capsules: open and sprinkle on applesauce or other acidic soft food (pH ≤ 4.5). Swallow immediately — don't store the mixture.
• For infants under 12 months: Give right before each feeding of formula or breast milk. Do NOT mix into formula or breast milk directly.
• Do NOT mix with foods with pH greater than 4.5 (e.g., milk, ice cream, yogurt with fruit) — this destroys the coating.

Dosage Guidelines

Dosing is individualized based on body weight, fat content of meals, and symptom response. General starting points:

• Children ages 1–3: Start at 1,000 lipase units/kg/meal
• Children ages 4 and older + adults: Start at 500 lipase units/kg/meal
• Infants under 12 months: 2,000–4,000 lipase units per 120 mL formula or per breastfeeding

Maximum dose: Do not exceed 2,500 lipase units/kg/meal, 10,000 lipase units/kg/day, or 4,000 lipase units/g fat ingested per day without further clinical evaluation. For snacks, typically take half the meal dose.

Storage Instructions

Proper storage is important to maintain Pancreaze's effectiveness:

• Store at room temperature between 68–77°F (20–25°C). Brief periods at 59–104°F (15–40°C) are acceptable during transport.
• Store in the original container. Avoid heat and moisture.
• Keep bottle tightly closed between uses.
• Do NOT eat or throw away the desiccant canister inside the bottle — it protects the medication from moisture.

What If I Miss a Dose?

If you miss your Pancreaze dose at a meal, skip that dose and take your usual dose with your next meal. Do not double up to make up for a missed dose. If you frequently miss doses because you're running out of medication, it's time to refill early or find a more reliable pharmacy.

If you're struggling to keep Pancreaze in stock, medfinder can help you find pharmacies near you that have your specific strength in stock.

Want to understand exactly how Pancreaze works in your body? Read our detailed explanation: How Does Pancreaze Work? Mechanism of Action Explained in Plain English.