Mesalazine 4g Once Daily Versus 4g in Two Divided Doses in Active Ulcerative Colitis.

Ulcerative Colitis Clinical Trial

Official title: Multicentre, Controlled, Randomised, Investigator-Blinded, Comparative Study of Oral Mesalazine 4g Once Daily Versus Mesalazine 4g in Two Divided Doses in Patients With Active Ulcerative Colitis.

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that mesalazine 4g orally per day once daily (QD) is non-inferior to the reference regimen, mesalazine 4g per day in two divided doses (BID) (2g x 2 per day), in patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC) treated for 8 weeks, in terms of remission evaluated with the Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index (UC-DAI) score and defined as less than or equal to 1. Both groups (4g QD and 2gx2) received an enema containing 1g of mesalazine at bedtime during the initial 4 weeks.

Participants in remission at week 8 received an additional 4 weeks of maintenance therapy with 2g oral mesalazine once a day. Participants who did not achieve remission at Week 8 completed the study at week 8.

Clinical Trial Description

A key element in therapeutic response in UC is treatment compliance. In daily practice, compliance of UC patients with 5-Amino Salicylic Acid (5-ASA) treatment appears mediocre, particularly in maintenance therapy. Poor or non-existent compliance affects not only treatment response but also disease progression.

An inverse relationship has been found between the number of daily doses prescribed and treatment compliance. Thus, reduction to a single daily dose of mesalazine is a major factor likely to significantly increase treatment compliance.

Reducing the dosing rate to a single daily dose for 8 weeks constitutes a simple method of improving treatment compliance but it is necessary to demonstrate at least equivalent efficacy compared to the twice daily dosing which is the reference regimen. This study was designed to show that mesalazine 4g once daily is at least as effective as mesalazine 4g in two divided doses per day in patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis after 8 weeks of treatment with a better compliance. To improve remission, both groups received an enema during the first 4 weeks, as usually done in current practice. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Single Blind (Investigator), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Colitis
• Colitis, Ulcerative
• Ulcer
• Ulcerative Colitis

• NCT number: NCT00737789
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Ferring Pharmaceuticals
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: November 2008
• Completion date: June 2010