Reformulation of an aminosalicylate: an example of the importance of pill burden on medical compliance rates.

Ulcerative colitis is an idiopathic chronic inflammatory disease of the colon characterized by symptoms of bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain. Although conventional aminosalicylates have been the foundation of treatment of mild to moderate ulcerative colitis for both the induction and maintenance of remission, they are limited in a number of ways, such as which formulation and what dose are optimal, as well as the high pill burden, which often leads to low compliance with these medications. Multi-Matrix System (MMX) mesalamine (SPD476) is a promising new aminosalicylate formulation; it seems to have solved some of the problems of conventional aminosalicylates, as it is effective as a once-daily treatment in high doses and induces both clinical remission and endoscopic mucosal healing. This review article summarizes the data on the use of both conventional aminosalicylates and MMX mesalamine in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.