Clinical Pharmacology of Balsalazide

Balsalazide, a prodrug of 5-aminosalicylate, is used to treat ulcerative colitis.Balsalazide is metabolized by bacteria in the colon to release its therapeutically active moiety mesalazine.In adults, the oral dose of balsalazide is 6.75 grams and balsalazide is rapidly absorbed following oral administration.The efficacy and safely of balsalazide, the treatment with balsalazide, and the trials conducted with balsalazide have been reviewed.In literature, there is only one study on the pharmacokinetics of balsalazide in humans and this study also assessed the pharmacokinetics of mesalamine.The elimination half-life of balsalazide and mesalamine is 6.1 and 7.1 hours, respectively, indicating that balsalazide and mesalamine are slowly eliminated and the toxicity induced by balsalazide has been reviewed.The aim of this study is to review the efficacy and safely of balsalazide, the treatment with balsalazide, and the trials conducted with balsalazide.In addition, the pharmacokinetics of balsalazide and the toxicity caused by balsalazide have been reviewed.