Pharmacokinetics: efficacy and safety of MMX mesalamine formulation for treating ulcerative colitis

......................................... Received: 17-10-13 Accepted: 19-12-13 Abstract MMX® mesalazine is an enteric formulation of 5-ASA with Multi Matrix technology for delayed and prolonged administration of high doses of mesalazine throughout the colon. Clinical trials have demonstrated its clinical and endoscopic efficacy for inducing remission. At doses of 2.4g to 4.8 g/day (2-4 tablets in a single daily dose) the rate of clinical remission from was 29.2%, and the rate of endoscopic remission was 41.2 % after 8 weeks of treatment. The clinical rate of remission for patients who received placebos was 9% and the endoscopic rate was 22.2 %. This efficacy of this formulation for inducing remission in left-sided colitis has been shown to be similar to topical treatment (60% clinical remission after 8 weeks of administration of MMX mesalazine compared to 50% with topical treatment. Although rates of remission induction therapy are similar to those obtained with conventional mesalazine trials, this trial of MMX mesalazine used the more stringent criteria of endoscopic improvement. 88.9% of patients treated with 2.4 g/day in a single dose without recurrence after 12 months. The safety profile is similar to those of standard mesalazines. The MMX formulation is a promising treatment for patients with UC because data efficiency and dosage convenience may improve compliance.