Axcan received a three-year marketing exclusivity for the new dosage form under the non-patent exclusivity provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
“The once-a-day Canasa 1,000mg suppository offers a new treatment option for patients with ulcerative proctitis,” said Dr Miguel Regueiro, associate professor of medicine and co-director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“The 1,000mg suppository is as efficacious as the twice-a-day Canasa 500mg suppository, but 1,000 mg once a day is easier for patients to use and should improve compliance.”
In the US, the rectal mesalamine market is valued at approximately $82 million annually and it is currently estimated that there are approximately one million cases of inflammatory bowel disease in the US, with around 400,000 new cases every year.