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Although sulfasalazine is effective in ulcerative colitis, side effects preclude its use in many patients. Recently, two similar drugs with fewer side effects have become available in the United States: olsalazine, a dimer converted into two molecules of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5- ASA) in the colon, and mesalazine (also called mesalamine), a single 5-ASA molecule available in a pH-sensitive coated tablet designed to dissolve in the terminal ileum or colon.
This study randomized 100 patients whose ulcerative colitis was in remission to receive either olsalazine or mesalazine. Relapse was defined as the development of colitis symptoms requiring steroid treatment. Among the 82 patients who completed one year of treatment, the relapse rate was 12…