title: Indications for 5-aminosalicylate in inflammatory bowel disease: is the body of evidence complete?
abstract: Mesalazine is a safe drug, although adverse events may be seen in a minority of patients. This applies also to pregnant women and children. The role of mesalazine in combination therapy to improve efficacy and concomitant drug pharmacokinetics, or in chemoprevention against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-related colonic carcinoma has not yet been completely elucidated. Therapeutic success of mesalazine may be optimized by a combination of high dose and low frequency of dosage to improve compliance. Therefore, due to its superior safety profile and pharmacokinetic characteristics, mesalazine is preferable to sulphasalazine. This paper reviews the literature concerning mechanisms of action, indications and off-label use, pharmacokinetic properties and formulations, therapeutic efficacy, compliance, paediatric indications, chemoprevention, and safety issues and adverse event profile of mesalazine treatment versus sulphasalazine. It also highlights these controversies in order to clarify the potential benefits of mesalazines in IBD therapy and evidence for its use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, VU University medical centre, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. v.bodegraven@vumc.nl
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: van Bodegraven
authors.forename: Chris J J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Mulder
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000517:prevention & control; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019804:Mesalamine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012460:Sulfasalazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016312:Treatment Refusal
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D012460:Sulfasalazine; D019804:Mesalamine