Conventional Medical Management of Ulcerative Colitis: Sulfasalazine and 5-Aminosalicylates

Sulfasalazine was first identified in 1940 as a treatment for arthritis, and was found serendipitously to be beneficial in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Since then, sulfasalazine and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) derivatives have played an important role in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate disease activity (Moshkovska and Mayberry, World J Gastroenterol. 13(32):4310–4315, 2007). Over the years, several 5-ASA formulations …