OLESTYR 4 G — DIN 00890960
CHOLESTYRAMINE RESIN : 4 G · PHARMASCIENCE INC · POWDER FOR SUSPENSION · wholesale supply in Canada
Health Canada status: DORMANT
What is OLESTYR?
OLESTYR 4 G contains CHOLESTYRAMINE RESIN : 4 G. It is listed in the Health Canada Drug Product Database under DIN 00890960, held by PHARMASCIENCE INC, supplied as POWDER FOR SUSPENSION for ORAL administration. Health Canada currently lists it as dormant, status dated 31-Jul-2026. Nexara Health is a licensed Canadian wholesale distributor (DEL 3-002896-A). This DIN is not currently being marketed in Canada, so it is sourced to order where a compliant route exists rather than held in stock.
How much does Colestyramine cost around the world?
Colestyramine is listed on 2 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. Australia publishes a ex-manufacturer; Saudi Arabia publishes a public. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | ex-manufacturer | 1 | 2 | AUD███.██ |
| Saudi Arabia | public | 1 | 1 | SAR███.██ |
3 pack listings across 2 brand entries and 2 price bases, refreshed 08 Sep 2026. Ranges span every Colestyramine pack in that market, so a high figure is usually a larger pack rather than the same product.
Canada publishes no comparable public list price. For a delivered Canadian price on a licensed account, verify your licence — it takes about a minute.
Is there a generic Colestyramine 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.
10 holders have a Canadian DIN containing Colestyramine, across 23 DINs, of which 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHARMASCIENCE INC | 7 | 1 | OLESTYR, PMS-CHOLESTYRAMINE, PMS-CHOLESTYRAMINE POWDER 210G/CAN, PMS-CHOLESTYRAMINE PWS 400G/CAN, PMS-CHOLESTYRAMINE REGULAR POWDER -4/9G DOSE | Sourceable in Canada |
| JAMP PHARMA CORPORATION | 2 | 1 | JAMP-CHOLESTYRAMINE | Sourceable in Canada |
| ODAN LABORATORIES LTD | 1 | 1 | CHOLESTYRAMINE-ODAN | Sourceable in Canada |
| BRISTOL LABS DIVISION OF BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB | 3 | 0 | QUESTRAN LIGHT PWS 4GM/PCK, QUESTRAN PWR 378GM/CAN, QUESTRAN PWR 4GM/9GM | No marketed DIN |
| PHARMEL INC | 3 | 0 | PHL-CHOLESTYRAMINE LIGHT - 210G TIN, PHL-CHOLESTYRAMINE POWDER 210G/CAN, PHL-CHOLESTYRAMINE REGULAR - 378G TIN | No marketed DIN |
| NOVOPHARM LIMITED | 2 | 0 | NOVO-CHOLAMINE - PWR 4G/DOSE, NOVO-CHOLAMINE LIGHT - PWR 4G/DOSE | No marketed DIN |
| SORRES PHARMA INC | 2 | 0 | CHOLESTYRAMINE | No marketed DIN |
| ALTIMED PHARMA INC. | 1 | 0 | ALTI-CHOLESTYRAMINE LIGHT | No marketed DIN |
| BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CANADA | 1 | 0 | QUESTRAN TAB 1GM | No marketed DIN |
| PHARMEL INC 6111, Avenue Royalmount, Suite 100 Montreal Quebec Canada H4P 2T4 | 1 | 0 | PHL-CHOLESTYRAMINE POWDER FOR SUSPENSION 400GM/CAN | 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 | 4 G |
|---|---|
| Dosage form | POWDER FOR SUSPENSION |
| Route | ORAL |
Before an order line is unambiguous Nexara needs the strength, the pack size and the presentation.
Substance and classification
| Active substance | Colestyramine |
|---|---|
| ATC code | C10AC01 |
| AHFS class | 24:06.04 |
| 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) | 00890960 |
|---|---|
| DIN (unpadded, as printed on some documents) | 890960 |
| Brand name | OLESTYR |
| Generic / active ingredient | CHOLESTYRAMINE RESIN : 4 G |
| Market authorization holder | PHARMASCIENCE INC |
| Health Canada schedule | Prescription |
| ATC code | C10AC01 |
| ATC anatomical main group | C — Cardiovascular system |
| ATC therapeutic subgroup | C10AC |
| Current status | DORMANT |
| Status date | 31-Jul-2026 |
| Original market date | 1993-12-31 00:00:00 |
| Status source | Live Health Canada DPD sync |
Verify on the primary sources
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
3 of 23 Canadian DINs for this molecule are currently marketed. Marketed products are listed first.
| Product | Strength | Form | Holder | Health Canada status | DIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHOLESTYRAMINE-ODAN | 4 G | Powder | ODAN LABORATORIES LTD | MARKETED | 02455609 |
| JAMP-CHOLESTYRAMINE | 4 G | POWDER FOR SUSPENSION | JAMP PHARMA CORPORATION | MARKETED | 02478595 |
| OLESTYR | 4 G | POWDER FOR SUSPENSION | PHARMASCIENCE INC | MARKETED | 02210320 |
| ALTI-CHOLESTYRAMINE LIGHT | 4 G | POWDER ; PACKAGE | ALTIMED PHARMA INC. | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02054825 |
| CHOLESTYRAMINE | 4 G / 9 G | POWDER FOR SUSPENSION | SORRES PHARMA INC | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02236970 |
| CHOLESTYRAMINE | 4 G / 5 G | POWDER FOR SUSPENSION | SORRES PHARMA INC | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02236969 |
| JAMP-CHOLESTYRAMINE | 4 G | POWDER FOR SUSPENSION | JAMP PHARMA CORPORATION | APPROVED | 02494531 |
| NOVO-CHOLAMINE - PWR 4G/DOSE | 4 G | POWDER ; SUSPENSION | NOVOPHARM LIMITED | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02139189 |
| NOVO-CHOLAMINE LIGHT - PWR 4G/DOSE | 4 G | SUSPENSION ; POWDER | NOVOPHARM LIMITED | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02139197 |
| PHL-CHOLESTYRAMINE LIGHT - 210G TIN | 4 G / 5 G | POWDER FOR SUSPENSION | PHARMEL INC | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02237132 |
2 · Same class — other molecules in ATC C10AC
| Molecule | Canadian brands | DINs | Marketed | Sourceable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colestyramine | ALTI-CHOLESTYRAMINE LIGHT · CHOLESTYRAMINE · CHOLESTYRAMINE-ODAN · JAMP-CHOLESTYRAMINE · +15 more | 23 | 3 | Yes |
| Colesevelam | APO-COLESEVELAM · LODALIS | 3 | 2 | Yes |
| Colestipol | COLESTID GRANULES · COLESTID ORANGE GRANULES · COLESTID TABLETS | 3 | 1 | 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 C10A
| ATC subgroup | Molecules | DINs | Marketed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C10AA | Atorvastatin · Cerivastatin · Fluvastatin · Lovastatin · Pravastatin · +2 more | 759 | 286 |
| C10AX | Alirocumab · Dextrothyroxine · Evinacumab · Evolocumab · Ezetimibe · +5 more | 48 | 28 |
| C10AB | Bezafibrate · Clofibrate · Fenofibrate · Gemfibrozil | 87 | 13 |
| C10AD | Nicotinic Acid | 6 | 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 OLESTYR called?
The same molecule, Colestyramine, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Questran Lite | Latin | Australia |
| QUESTRAN POWDER | Latin | Saudi Arabia |
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.
How can I get it?
This DIN is dormant — it holds a Health Canada authorization but is not currently being marketed in Canada, so it cannot simply be ordered from Canadian stock. Where a patient need exists, supply may be possible through exceptional importation or the Special Access Programme, subject to Health Canada's requirements and the prescriber's application. Nexara can advise on the route and on marketed alternatives.
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.