Olsalazine is an anti-inflammatory medication used in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.[2][3] It is sold under the brand name Dipentum.[4]
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| Trade names | Dipentum |
| AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
| MedlinePlus | a601088 |
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| Routes of administration | By mouth |
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| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Protein binding | 99% |
| Elimination half-life | 0.9 hours |
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| ECHA InfoCard | 100.116.494 |
| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C14H10N2O6 |
| Molar mass | 302.242 g·mol−1 |
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Olsalazine itself is a pro-drug of mesalazine (5-aminosalicyclic acid or 5-ASA) and is not absorbed in the small intestine. Instead it continues through to the colon where it is cleaved into two molecules of 5-ASA by azoreductases produced by colonic bacteria. Olsalazine thus exerts its anti-inflammatory effect by its colonic breakdown into 5-ASA which inhibits cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase thereby reducing prostaglandin and leukotriene production.[4]
History
Olsalazine gained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 1990.
Supply
The drug is supplied by UCB Pharma.
Research
In 2006 the Australian biotech company Giaconda received a European patent for a combination therapy for treating constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome that uses olsalazine and the anti-gout drug colchicine, for trials the following year.[5]
