Olsalazine
Olsalazine is an anti-inflammatory drug used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis. It is sold under the name Dipentum.
The chemical name is 3,3' -azobis salicylic acid. It is sold as the disodium salt.
Like balsalazide, olsalazine is believed to deliver mesalazine, or 5-aminosalicylic acid, past the small intestine, directly to the large intestine, which is the active site of disease in ulcerative colitis.History
Olsalazine gained Food and Drug Administration approval in 1990.Supply
The drug is supplied by UCB Pharma.The Australian biotech company Giaconda has developed a combination therapy for treating constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome that uses olsalazine and the anti-gout drug colchicine.
