Entocort EC vs. its authorized generic and generics

How to pay the least

Lowest price

$20.60 for 30 capsules delivered ($15.35 plus $5.25 shipping)

Generic budesonide EC 3 mg from Cost Plus Drugs, by mail

Make a free account on costplusdrugs.com. Ask your prescriber to send the prescription there, or Cost Plus Drugs can transfer it.Open Cost Plus Drugs
Order generic budesonide EC 3 mg. It comes by mail.

A regular generic has the same active ingredient as Entocort EC, and the FDA requires it to work the same way.

Compare every option

Brand nameEntocort EC

Authorized genericbudesonide

Regular genericbudesonide

What you’d pay

Not soldNo longer sold

Cash priceAsk the pharmacyUsually among the lowest

Cash price$20.60for 30 capsules at Cost Plus Drugs, with shipping

Same as Entocort EC?

–

Same medicine

Same active ingredientFillers and dyes can differ

Brand nameNot sold

Entocort EC itself isn’t sold as a prescription anymore. Its generic versions, if any, are in the other tabs.

See the authorized generic →

Authorized genericThe NDC to ask for

The same medicine as Entocort EC, without the brand name. Give the pharmacy its NDC to get it.

budesonide

Sold by

PadagisThe company behind Entocort EC

NDC to ask for

3 mgcapsule
- 0574-9855-1011-digit: 00574-9855-10100 capsules per bottle

Source: FDA, updated October 30, 2026

What to say at the pharmacy

“Before you fill my Entocort EC, can you tell me what I’d pay for the brand, for the authorized generic from Padagis (NDC 0574-9855-10), and for a regular generic?”

Paying cash? Ask for each one’s cash price. With insurance, ask what your plan charges for each.

Brand and authorized generic labels

Official labels and ingredient lists from DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine).

Entocort EC itself isn’t sold anymore, so there’s no current brand label to compare. Here’s the authorized generic’s label.

Authorized generic package label from Padagis — Authorized genericPadagis

See the ingredients

Active: budesonide 3 mg

Inactive:

Acetyltributyl citrate
Ethylcellulose
Ferric oxide red
Gelatin
Methacrylic acid and ethyl acrylate copolymer
Polysorbate 80
Talc
Titanium dioxide
Triethyl citrate

Regular genericWhere to buy it

Pharmacies’ own cash prices for generic budesonide, lowest first.

Pick up in storeDelivered

Delivered: Cost Plus Drugs $15.35for 30 capsules3 mgPlus $5.25 shipping
Pick up in store: Costco $60.99for 90 capsules3 mgMembers only · $65 a yearFind the nearest store
Delivered: Costco $60.99for 90 capsules3 mgMembers only · $65 a year · Plus shipping
Delivered: Rx Outreach $25for 30 capsules3 mgeach additional 30 capsules: $10Free delivery
Pick up in store: Sam's Club See its pricePlus members only · $120 a yearFind the nearest store

From each pharmacy’s own site, read November 2, 2026. Confirm the price before you fill.

About these prices

Prices change, can differ by store and state, and may depend on the strength and how many you take. With insurance, ask what your plan charges; it can be less.

Regular genericWho makes it

3 companies sell a generic of Entocort EC that the FDA rates a substitute. A pharmacy fills whichever one it stocks. To get a certain maker, ask for it by name; most pharmacies can order it in a day or two.

Amneal PharmaceuticalsDR capsule 3 mg

Has dyes: D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Blue No. 2, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 6

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

3 mg Opaque light gray body and opaque maroon cap, capsule, 19 mm, marked “AMNEAL / 778”

Package NDC
Bottle of 100 53746-778-10

3 mg Opaque light gray and opaque maroon, capsule, 19 mm, marked “AMNEAL / 778”

Package NDC
Bottle of 21 65162-778-49
Bottle of 100 65162-778-10
Bottle of 180 65162-778-18
Bottle of 300 65162-778-30

Inactive ingredients: cetyl alcohol, starch, corn, ethylcelluloses, hypromelloses, polyethylene glycol, methacrylic acid and ethyl acrylate copolymer, sodium lauryl sulfate, sucrose, talc, triethyl citrate, D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 6, gelatin, titanium dioxide, alcohol, FD&C Blue No. 2, ferrosoferric oxide, methyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, propylene glycol, shellac
FDA label
NorthStar RxCapsule 3 mg

Made by Zydus Lifesciences

Product page on northstarrxllc.com

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

3 mg OPAQUE LIGHT-ORANGE and OPAQUE WHITE, capsule, 19 mm, marked “720”

Package NDC
Bottle of 100 16714-829-01

Inactive ingredients: acetyltributyl citrate, dimethicone, ethylcelluloses, ferric oxide red, ferric oxide yellow, ferrosoferric oxide, gelatin, methacrylic acid and ethyl acrylate copolymer, polysorbate 80, potassium hydroxide, propylene glycol, shellac, sodium lauryl sulfate, sucrose, talc, titanium dioxide, triethyl citrate
FDA label
Zydus LifesciencesCapsule 3 mg

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

3 mg OPAQUE LIGHT-ORANGE and OPAQUE WHITE, capsule, 19 mm, marked “720”

Package NDC
Bottle of 30 68382-720-06
Bottle of 90 68382-720-16
Bottle of 100 68382-720-01
Carton of 100 68382-720-77
Bottle of 500 68382-720-05
Bottle of 1000 68382-720-10

Inactive ingredients: acetyltributyl citrate, dimethicone, ethylcelluloses, ferric oxide red, ferric oxide yellow, ferrosoferric oxide, gelatin, methacrylic acid and ethyl acrylate copolymer, polysorbate 80, potassium hydroxide, propylene glycol, shellac, sodium lauryl sulfate, sucrose, talc, titanium dioxide, triethyl citrate
FDA label

Package	NDC
Bottle of 100	53746-778-10

Package	NDC
Bottle of 21	65162-778-49
Bottle of 100	65162-778-10
Bottle of 180	65162-778-18
Bottle of 300	65162-778-30

Package	NDC
Bottle of 100	16714-829-01

Package	NDC
Bottle of 30	68382-720-06
Bottle of 90	68382-720-16
Bottle of 100	68382-720-01
Carton of 100	68382-720-77
Bottle of 500	68382-720-05
Bottle of 1000	68382-720-10

Who sells it: FDA and Medicaid records, updated weekly. Each maker’s page, card and program is from its own site.

What it’s used for

Crohn’s disease of the lower small intestine or right colon

What the FDA label says

Budesonide delayed-release capsules are a corticosteroid indicated for:

Treatment of mild to moderate active Crohn’s disease involving the ileum and/or the ascending colon, in patients 8 years and older.
Maintenance of clinical remission of mild to moderate Crohn’s disease involving the ileum and/or the ascending colon for up to 3 months in adults.

Source: the FDA label for budesonide (Padagis US LLC), June 5, 2024. Full label on DailyMed

Good to know

It may look different from Entocort EC (color, shape, or markings). That’s normal for an authorized generic.
If your prescription says “dispense as written,” the pharmacy needs your prescriber’s OK to give you the authorized generic.
Cash prices can differ a lot from one pharmacy to the next, so it can pay to ask two. With insurance, what you pay depends on your plan.
If your pharmacy doesn’t stock it, they can often order it within a day or two.
Don’t stop or change a medicine without talking to your pharmacist or prescriber.

Prices checked November 2, 2026. Prices change: confirm with the pharmacy before you fill. drugalt.com/drug/entocort-ec/