Uses
Anti-inflammatory (gastrointestinal).
Indications
Olsalazine is approved for maintenance of remission of ulcerative colitis, but a commonly reported side effect is a paradoxical increase in diarrhea. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved balsalazide disodium (Colazal) as a treatment of mild to moderately active ulcerative colitis.
Definition
ChEBI: An azobenzene that consists of two molecules of 4-aminosalicylic acid joined by an azo linkage. A prodrug for mesalazine, an anti-inflammatory drug, it is used (as the disodium salt) in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Brand name
Dipentum (UCB).
Mechanism of action
Olsalazine is approved for maintenance of remission of ulcerative colitis, but a commonly reported side effect is a paradoxical increase in diarrhea. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved balsalazide disodium (Colazal) as a treatment of mild to moderately active ulcerative colitis.
Veterinary Drugs and Treatments
Olsalazine is used for treatment of dogs with chronic colitis that either cannot tolerate the adverse effects associated with sulfasalazine or the response to sulfasalazine has been ineffective.