The efficacy of maintenance therapy in ulcerative colitis is influenced by the pharmacokinetics of mesalazine and by adherence to medicamentous therapy Commentary to the PODIUM study

Abstract

In the last year the results of the PODIUM trial were published. The authors investigated the efficacy and safety of once and twice daily administration of prolonged-release mesalazine granules (2 g daily) in the maintenance of remission in patients with quiescent ulcerative colitis. It has been shown that once daily oral mesalazine had better therapeutic results compared with patients given oral mesalazine of 1 g twice daily. The commentary discusses the possibilities explaining the positive effect of a single dose administration of the drug. The most important seems to be the positive impact on mesalazine pharmacokinetics and the significantly better adherence of patients to medicamentoustherapy.