Sulfasalazine

Sulfasalazine

Clinical data
Trade names	Azulfidine, Salazopyrin, Sulazine, others
AHFS/Drugs.com	Monograph
MedlinePlus	a682204
Pregnancy category	B
Routes of administration	by mouth
ATC code	A07EC01 (WHO)
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	<15%
Biological half-life	5-10 hours
Identifiers
IUPAC name 2-hydroxy-5-[(E)-2-{4-[(pyridin-2-yl)sulfamoyl]phenyl}diazen-1-yl]benzoic acid
CAS Number	599-79-1 Y
PubChem CID	5384001
DrugBank	DB00795 Y
ChemSpider	10481900 Y
UNII	3XC8GUZ6CB
KEGG	D00448 Y
ChEMBL	CHEMBL421 N
ECHA InfoCard	100.009.069
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C18H14N4O5S
Molar mass	398.394 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
SMILES O=S(=O)(Nc1ccccn1)c3ccc(/N=N/c2cc(C(O)=O)c(O)cc2)cc3
InChI InChI=1S/C18H14N4O5S/c23-16-9-6-13(11-15(16)18(24)25)21-20-12-4-7-14(8-5-12)28(26,27)22-17-3-1-2-10-19-17/h1-11,23H,(H,19,22)(H,24,25) Y Key:NCEXYHBECQHGNR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y
NY (what is this?)

Sulfasalazine (SSZ), sold under the trade name Azulfidine among others, is a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. It is often considered as a first line treatment in rheumatoid arthritis. It is taken by mouth.

Significant side effects occur in about 25% of people. Commonly these include loss of appetite, nausea, headache, and rash. Severe side effects include bone marrow suppression, liver problems, and kidney problems. It should not be used in people allergic to aspirin or sulfonamide. Use during pregnancy appears to be safe for the baby. Sulfasalazine is in the disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) family of medications. It is unclear exactly how it works but is broken down into sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid.

Sulfasalazine was approved for medical use in the United States in 1950. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. Sulfasalazine is available as a generic medication. The wholesale cost in the developing world is about 9.24 to 32.64 USD a month. In the United States it costs 25 to 50 USD per month.

Sulfasalazine is used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It is also indicated for use in rheumatoid arthritis and used in other types of inflammatory arthritis (e.g. psoriatic arthritis) where it has a beneficial effect. It is often well tolerated compared to other DMARDs.