MARIETTA, Ga. -- When patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) flare, their normal life can be completely disrupted. Bloody diarrhea, frantic urgency and abdominal pain make the bathroom the center of attention.
Alaven Pharmaceutical LLC, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat gastrointestinal conditions, announced the introduction of a convenience kit at the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons' annual meeting in Boston. The kit contains ROWASA® (mesalamine) Rectal Suspension Enema 4g/60mL, a treatment for flare symptoms associated with active mild to moderate left-sided UC, proctosigmoiditis, or ulcerative proctitis, and a personal cleansing wipe for added convenience for those inevitable restroom stops.*
"There is a continued need in the marketplace for convenient UC therapy for all patients living with the disease and facing the inevitability of flares," said Connie Swanson, vice president of sales and marketing at Alaven. "Our hope is that by offering ROWASA in a convenience kit, patients will have access to a soothing topical treatment for more immediate flare relief and that they will be more comfortable with their medication-taking routine."
ROWASA is a prescription medication administered at bedtime for the relief of UC flare symptoms. Applied directly to the site of inflammation, ROWASA reduces rectal bleeding in as little as three days1 and provides fast relief of diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other flare symptoms.2 The full course of treatment with ROWASA (three to six weeks) is recommended for more complete flare relief.2
Due to the unpredictable course of UC that is marked by periods of inactivity and then incidences of intermittent flares, patients are at an increased risk for poor adherence to medications. An estimated 34 percent of patients with left-sided UC have been shown to be non-compliant to prescribed medications.3 Research also shows that innovative ways, including providing convenient medications, may help to motivate patients to adhere.3
The ROWASA convenience kit helps to improve the delivery and accessibility to reliable UC flare therapy while offering value-added convenience from a personal cleansing wipe that leaves UC patients clean and fresh.*
*Wipe is optional and not a required part of treatment
References
1. Sutherland LR, et al. 5-aminosalicylic acid enema in the treatment of distal ulcerative colitis, proctosigmoiditis, and proctitis. Gastroenterology. 1987;92(6):1894-1898.
2. ROWASA Prescribing Information. Rev 05/08.
3. Kane SV, et al: The Challenge of Compliance and Persistence: Focus on Ulcerative Colitis. J Manag Care Pharm. 2008;14(1)(suppl S-a):S2-S12.
Source: Alaven Pharmaceutical LLC