MEGESTROL 40 MG — DIN 02195917
MEGESTROL ACETATE : 40 MG · AA PHARMA INC · TABLET · wholesale supply in Canada
Health Canada status: MARKETED
What is MEGESTROL?
MEGESTROL 40 MG contains MEGESTROL ACETATE : 40 MG. It is listed in the Health Canada Drug Product Database under DIN 02195917, held by AA PHARMA INC, supplied as TABLET for ORAL administration. Health Canada currently lists it as marketed, status dated 23-Sep-2021. Nexara Health is a licensed Canadian wholesale distributor (DEL 3-002896-A) and can source this product for hospitals, pharmacies and clinics. Availability and lead time are confirmed per order.
What is MEGESTROL used for?
MEGESTROL (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 D2) carcinoma of the prostate. MEGESTROL should not be used in lieu of currently accepted procedures such as surgery and radiation. Objective or subjective responses or arrest of tumour growth may occur for one to several months while on therapy. MEGESTROL is also indicated for the treatment of anorexia, cachexia or weightloss secondary to metastatic cancer.
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.
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 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) | MEGESTROL (Megestrol Acetate Tablets USP) 40 mg: each light blue, round, flat-faced, bevelled-edged, scored tablet, engraved “40” on one side, contains 40 mg megestrol acetate. Available in bottles of 100 and 250 tablets. MEGESTROL (Megestrol Acetate Tablets USP) 160 mg: each white, oval, biconvex, scored tablet engraved "160" on one side, contains 160 mg megestrol acetate. Available in bottles of 100 and 250 tablets. |
| Storage | Store MEGESTROL (Megestrol Acetate Tablets USP) at room temperature (15-30°C) in well-closed containers. |
Before an order line is unambiguous Nexara needs the strength, the pack size and the presentation, because this listing covers more than one of them.
Substance and classification
| Active substance | Megestrol |
|---|---|
| ATC code | L02AB01 |
| AHFS class | 10:00.00 |
| 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) | 02195917 |
|---|---|
| DIN (unpadded, as printed on some documents) | 2195917 |
| Brand name | MEGESTROL |
| Generic / active ingredient | MEGESTROL ACETATE : 40 MG |
| Market authorization holder | AA PHARMA INC |
| Health Canada schedule | Prescription |
| ATC code | L02AB01 |
| ATC anatomical main group | L — Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents |
| ATC therapeutic subgroup | L02AB |
| Current status | MARKETED |
| Status date | 23-Sep-2021 |
| Original market date | 1995-12-31 00:00:00 |
| Status source | Live Health Canada DPD sync |
Verify on the primary sources
How is it administered?
For the following indications, at least two months of continuous treatment with MEGESTROL (megestrol acetate) is recommended. For palliative or adjunctive treatment of breast carcinoma: 160 mg or 125 mg/m² daily (40 mg q.i.d. or 160 mg q.d.). For endometrial carcinoma: 80 - 320 mg or 62.5 - 250 mg/m² daily in divided doses (40 - 80 mg one to four times daily or one to two 160 mg tablets daily). For palliative treatment of hormone responsive advanced (Stage D₂) carcinoma of the prostate: 120 mg (93.8 mg/m²) as a single daily dose in combination with diethylstilbestrol tablet, 0.1 mg. For anorexia, cachexia, or significant weight loss in patients with cancer: usual adult dose: 400 to 800 mg as a single daily dose.
Included because it drives pack selection and wastage. Consult the monograph.
Contraindications
MEGESTROL (megestrol acetate) is contraindicated in those people who are sensitive to megestrol acetate or any ingredients in the tablets. MEGESTROL should not be used as a diagnostic test for pregnancy.
Warnings and precautions
The use of progestational agents during the first four months of pregnancy is not recommended. Progestational agents have been used beginning within the first trimester of pregnancy in an attempt to prevent habitual abortion or treat threatened abortion. There is no adequate evidence that such use is effective and there is evidence of potential harm to the fetus when such drugs are given during the first four months of pregnancy. Use of progestational agents, with their uterine- relaxant properties, in patients with fertilized defective ova may cause a delay in spontaneous abortion. Several reports suggest an association between intrauterine exposure to progestational drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy and genital abnormalities in male and female fetuses. The risk of hypospadias, 5 to 8 per 1000 male births in the general population, may be approximately doubled with exposure to these drugs. There are insufficient data to quantify the risk to exposed female fetuses, however some of these drugs induce mild virilization of the external genitalia of the female fetus. If the patient is exposed to MEGESTROL (megestrol acetate) during the first four months of pregnancy or if she becomes pregnant while taking this drug, she should be apprised of the potential risks to the fetus. Women of childbearing potential should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant.
Is Megestrol in shortage in Canada?
A Canadian shortage report is on file for a product containing this molecule: Resolved — reported by AA PHARMA INC, last seen 09 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 | 160 MG | TABLET | AA PHARMA INC | MARKETED | 02195925 |
| APO-MEGESTROL | 40 MG | TABLET | APOTEX INC | APPROVED | 02405504 |
| APO-MEGESTROL | 160 MG | TABLET | APOTEX INC | APPROVED | 02405512 |
| 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 | 40 MG | TABLET | BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CANADA | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 00386391 |
| 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 | 160 MG | TABLET | APOTEX INC | APPROVED | 02185423 |
| MEGESTROL | 40 MG | TABLET | APOTEX INC | APPROVED | 02185415 |
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 MEGESTROL called?
Also recorded in Canada as: megestrol acetate 125 MG/ML Oral Suspension (US), megestrol acetate 20 MG Oral Tablet (US), megestrol acetate 40 MG Oral Tablet (US), megestrol acetate 40 MG/ML Oral Suspension (US), megestrol acetate 160 MG Oral Tablet (US), MEGESTROL ACETATE (US), Megace (US), Megace ES (US), Megace (UK), Megace (EU), Megeest (IN), Megestrol Acetate (GLOBAL), Megestrol Acetate (UK), Megace (GLOBAL).
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.
How can I get it?
Nexara Health supplies this product to licensed Canadian buyers — pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, licensed distributors, and clinical trial sponsors or their CROs. We confirm stock, pack size, expiry and pricing at the time of quotation. If the product is on backorder or in shortage, we identify equivalent alternatives and import options where permitted.
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.