MEGACE 40 MG — DIN 00386391
MEGESTROL ACETATE : 40 MG · BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CANADA · TABLET · wholesale supply in Canada
Health Canada status: CANCELLED POST MARKET
What is MEGACE?
MEGACE 40 MG contains MEGESTROL ACETATE : 40 MG. It is listed in the Health Canada Drug Product Database under DIN 00386391, held by BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CANADA, supplied as TABLET for ORAL administration. Health Canada currently lists it as cancelled post market, status dated 29-May-2006. This Drug Identification Number is no longer authorized for sale in Canada, so Nexara does not supply it. The record is kept here because buyers still meet the number on old formularies, purchase orders and tender documents; Nexara can help identify an authorized alternative.
What is MEGACE used for?
MEGACE (megestrol acetate) is indicated for adjunctive or palliative treatment of recurrent, inoperable or metastatic carcinoma of the breast and endometrium and for palliative treatment of hormone responsive advanced (stage D 2 ) carcinoma of the prostate. MEGACE is also indicated for the treatment of anorexia, cachexia or weight loss secondary to metastatic cancer. MEGACE OS is indicated for the treatment of anorexia, cachexia, or an unexplained significant weight loss in patients with a diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Authorized indication as written in the Health Canada product monograph. For healthcare professionals and licensed purchasers; this is not medical advice.
How much does Megestrol cost around the world?
Megestrol is listed on 5 of the national price registers Nexara ingests. Each country publishes on a different basis, so those figures are not comparable with one another — or with a Canadian wholesale price.
What a market publishes matters more than the number it publishes. Greece publishes a producer price (ex-factory); Hungary publishes a producer price (ex-factory); Romania publishes a max producer price. Comparing an ex-factory ceiling against a pharmacy public price tells you nothing about either, and comparing either against a Canadian landed cost tells you less.
| Market | Price basis published there | Brands | Packs listed | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | acquisition | 3 | 8 | USD███.██ |
| Hungary | producer price (ex-factory) | 6 | 6 | HUF███.██ |
| Romania | max producer price | 2 | 2 | RON███.██ |
| Greece | producer price (ex-factory) | 1 | 1 | EUR███.██ |
| Slovakia | categorised final price | 1 | 1 | EUR███.██ |
18 pack listings across 13 brand entries and 4 price bases, refreshed 03 Sep 2026. Ranges span every Megestrol pack in that market, so a high figure is usually a larger pack rather than the same product.
This table is a regulatory record of where the molecule is listed. The DIN on this page is no longer authorized for sale in Canada, so Nexara does not quote it — see the alternatives above.
Is there a generic Megestrol in Canada, and who makes it?
Every market authorization holder with a Canadian DIN for this molecule, and how many of their listings Health Canada currently shows as marketed.
5 holders have a Canadian DIN containing Megestrol, across 13 DINs, of which 2 are currently marketed. Marketed count is the number that matters: an approval that is not marketed cannot be bought.
| Market authorization holder | DINs | Marketed | Brand names | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA PHARMA INC | 2 | 2 | MEGESTROL | Sourceable in Canada |
| APOTEX INC | 4 | 0 | APO-MEGESTROL, MEGESTROL | No marketed DIN |
| BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CANADA | 3 | 0 | MEGACE, MEGACE OS | No marketed DIN |
| LINSON PHARMA CO. | 2 | 0 | LINMEGESTROL - TAB 160MG, LINMEGESTROL - TAB 40MG | No marketed DIN |
| PRO DOC LIMITEE 2925 Boulevard Industriel Laval Quebec Canada H7L 3W9 | 2 | 0 | MEGESTROL-160 - TAB 160 MG, MEGESTROL-40 - TAB 40MG | No marketed DIN |
Health Canada’s Drug Product Database does not flag which listing is the originator and which are subsequent-entry products, so Nexara does not label them here. Interchangeability is determined provincially, not federally — confirm for your province before a formulary switch. Nexara can confirm which of these is actually obtainable, and on what lead time, per order.
How is it supplied and stored?
Pack configuration, storage class and the handling constraints that drive cold-chain planning. One DIN can cover more than one pack size, and the pack — not the DIN — is what gets priced, shipped and invoiced.
| Strength on the label | 40 MG |
|---|---|
| Dosage form | TABLET |
| Route | ORAL |
| Pack configuration (monograph) | 40 mg tablets in bottles of 100, 160 mg tablets in bottles of 30, and 240 mL bottles of oral suspension (40 mg/mL) |
| Storage | Store tablets and oral suspension at room temperature (15-30°C). Protect from temperatures above 30°C. |
Pack detail is kept as a regulatory record. This DIN is no longer authorized for sale in Canada, so Nexara does not quote this pack.
Substance and classification
| Active substance | Megestrol |
|---|---|
| ATC code | L02AB01 |
| Biosimilar biologic | No |
Health Canada record and identifiers
The regulatory facts straight from the Drug Product Database, plus every identifier form Nexara accepts on a purchase order. A DIN written without its leading zeros is the commonest reason an order line fails to match.
| DIN (8-digit, as used in ordering) | 00386391 |
|---|---|
| DIN (unpadded, as printed on some documents) | 386391 |
| Brand name | MEGACE |
| Generic / active ingredient | MEGESTROL ACETATE : 40 MG |
| Market authorization holder | BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CANADA |
| Health Canada schedule | Prescription |
| ATC code | L02AB01 |
| ATC anatomical main group | L — Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents |
| ATC therapeutic subgroup | L02AB |
| Current status | CANCELLED POST MARKET |
| Status date | 29-May-2006 |
| Status source | Live Health Canada DPD sync |
Verify on the primary sources
Is Megestrol in shortage in Canada?
A Canadian shortage report is on file for a product containing this molecule: Active — reported by AA PHARMA INC, last seen 04 Sep 2026. A shortage on one presentation does not always affect every DIN of the molecule — the alternatives below list what else is marketed in Canada. Nexara can confirm current availability and identify substitutions or import options where permitted.
What can be used instead?
Alternatives on every axis a buyer actually considers — the same molecule in another presentation, the same class, an adjacent class, or a fixed-dose combination. Every row is led by the marketed DIN count, because that is what can be bought this week.
1 · Same molecule, other Canadian presentations
2 of 13 Canadian DINs for this molecule are currently marketed. Marketed products are listed first.
| Product | Strength | Form | Holder | Health Canada status | DIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEGESTROL | 40 MG | TABLET | AA PHARMA INC | MARKETED | 02195917 |
| MEGESTROL | 160 MG | TABLET | AA PHARMA INC | MARKETED | 02195925 |
| APO-MEGESTROL | 160 MG | TABLET | APOTEX INC | APPROVED | 02405512 |
| APO-MEGESTROL | 40 MG | TABLET | APOTEX INC | APPROVED | 02405504 |
| LINMEGESTROL - TAB 160MG | 160 MG | TABLET | LINSON PHARMA CO. | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02176106 |
| LINMEGESTROL - TAB 40MG | 40 MG | TABLET | LINSON PHARMA CO. | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02176092 |
| MEGACE | 160 MG | TABLET | BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CANADA | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 00731323 |
| MEGACE OS | 40 MG | SUSPENSION | BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CANADA | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02168979 |
| MEGESTROL | 40 MG | TABLET | APOTEX INC | APPROVED | 02185415 |
| MEGESTROL | 160 MG | TABLET | APOTEX INC | APPROVED | 02185423 |
2 · Same class — other molecules in ATC L02AB
| Molecule | Canadian brands | DINs | Marketed | Sourceable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megestrol | APO-MEGESTROL · LINMEGESTROL - TAB 160MG · LINMEGESTROL - TAB 40MG · MEGACE · +4 more | 13 | 2 | Yes |
A molecule with zero marketed DINs cannot be sourced domestically, however many approvals it holds — if one of these sits on a formulary or in an older protocol, that is the line to check.
3 · Adjacent classes in ATC L02A
| ATC subgroup | Molecules | DINs | Marketed |
|---|---|---|---|
| L02AE | Buserelin · Goserelin · Histrelin · Leuprorelin · Triptorelin | 30 | 18 |
| L02AA | Diethylstilbestrol | 7 | 0 |
Not clinical advice. These tables describe what can be supplied in Canada, not what should be prescribed. Substitution within or across classes is a prescriber and pharmacist decision, and interchangeability is determined provincially.
What else is MEGACE called?
The same molecule, Megestrol, is registered under other names elsewhere. Buyers and prescribers searching from outside Canada — or working from a foreign prescription or tender document — often know it by one of these:
| Name | Script | Registered in |
|---|---|---|
| MEGACE BELSŐLEGES SZUSZPENZIÓ | Latin | Hungary |
Names are taken from national medicine registers and published price lists. A product registered abroad is not authorized for sale in Canada unless it holds its own DIN; import is possible only through the routes Health Canada permits.
Can this still be bought in Canada?
No. This Drug Identification Number is cancelled post market in Health Canada's Drug Product Database, so the product is no longer authorized for sale in Canada and Nexara does not supply it. This page is kept as a regulatory record.
If you are looking for a current equivalent, the alternatives above list every product sharing this therapeutic class, with the marketed ones first. Ask us to source an alternative
Ordering questions
Who can buy this from Nexara?
Licensed entities only. Nexara holds Health Canada establishment licence DEL 3-002896-A and ships only to a licensed address. Patients and unlicensed buyers are routed to a partner pharmacy.
Is there a minimum order?
Yes, set per product line and per pack multiple rather than on the order total, so you are never asked to buy a part-pack. The minimum for this line is confirmed with your quote.
What is the lead time?
Confirmed per order at quotation, and it depends on current stock position and whether the product is in shortage.
Why is there no price on this page?
Nexara quotes a delivered Canadian price per order, against a verified licence. Foreign list prices are published on incompatible bases and are not a guide to what any buyer can obtain here, so this page shows which markets list the molecule and on what basis, and nothing more.
Can Nexara supply this for a clinical trial?
Yes — comparator and background-therapy supply, including sourcing from other markets where a Canadian pack will not satisfy the protocol. Clinical trial supply.