Prescription medicine
Mesna Brand names: Mesnex
Mesna (Mesnex) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1988. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 6 generic labelers.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the mesna FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 17, 2018, Baxter Healthcare Company); the NDA 19884 record on Drugs@FDA; every mesna label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of December 17, 2018; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageMesna is indicated as a prophylactic agent in reducing the incidence of ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.
Forms and strengths
- 400 mg
- 100 mg/ml
Injection (solution); film-coated tablet; solution.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 30, 1988 Mesnex, Baxter Hlthcare; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 9 first April 26, 2001; 6 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 8 of which 6 under generic applications, 2 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- Not in the survey
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- No recall recorded
- FAERS reports
- 8,413 through July 30, 2026
What is mesna used for?
From the label: indications and usageMesna is indicated as a prophylactic agent in reducing the incidence of ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. Limitation of Use: Mesna is not indicated to reduce the risk of hematuria due to other pathological conditions such as thrombocytopenia. Mesna is a cytoprotective agent indicated as a prophylactic agent in reducing the incidence of ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. ( 1 ) Limitation of Use: Mesna is not indicated to reduce the risk of hematuria due to other pathological conditions such as thrombocytopenia.
FDA pharmacologic class: Cytoprotective Agent.
Source: FDA drug label (MESNA), Baxter Healthcare Company, effective December 17, 2018 (SPL set a880160b-fa82-453a-a971-29ab897876a7), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for mesna (Mesnex)?
The FDA approved the first generic mesna on April 26, 2001. 9 generic applications are approved; 6 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.
FDA's NDC Directory lists mesna from 6 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 2 brand labelers. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
- 1988 earliest approval on file
- 2001 first generic approved
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What does the mesna label say about other medicines?
The mesna label names 3 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 2 other medicines name mesna. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Acetic acid | warnings and precautions | The addition of glacial acetic acid can be used to differentiate between a false positive result (cherry-red color that fades) and a true positive result (red-violet color that intensifies). |
| Amifostine | warnings and precautions | Hypersensitivity reactions to mesna and to amifostine, another thiol compound, have been reported. |
| Ascorbic acid | warnings and precautions | False-Positive Tests for Ascorbic Acid Mesna may cause false-positive reactions in Tillman’s reagent-based urine screening tests for ascorbic acid. |
Other labels that name mesna
Source: FDA drug label (MESNA), Baxter Healthcare Company, effective December 17, 2018 (SPL set a880160b-fa82-453a-a971-29ab897876a7), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for mesna?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 8,413 reports that list mesna among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 1,754 are coded as a death and 3,955 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What next?
- Other cytoprotective agents
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Mesna side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other