Efficacy of mesalazine in IBS

Editor, We read the papers by Barbara et al 1 and Lam et al 2 with interest. The authors reported the results of two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of mesalazine in IBS. These are the largest studies examining the efficacy of this drug in IBS, to date, and the authors are to be applauded for conducting them. The efficacy of mesalazine in UC is undisputed.3–5 However, the observation that a subset of patients with IBS, particularly those with a post-infective aetiology, may demonstrate low-grade colonic mucosal inflammatory changes has led to a renewed interest in the use of the drug for this condition.6 …