Ferring Pharmaceuticals recently announced the European launch of CORTIMENT® MMX® (budesonide) to address active mild and moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) — the first and only approved oral drug for the disease. The company has also released more data concerning the CONTRIBUTE trial, which revealed that CORTIMENT®MMX® 9 mg was significantly more effective in comparison to placebo in inducing combined clinical and endoscopic remission in patients suffering from UC that continued to experience a flare up of the disease in spite of taking oral 5-ASA therapy. Data was presented at the 10th Congress of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO).

David Rubin, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Medicine and lead author of the CONTRIBUTE study, said in a press release: “The data confirm the efficacy and safety of CORTIMENT®MMX® in patients experiencing an active flare of UC despite initial oral 5-ASA therapy and in a controlled setting that is consistent with clinical practice and the ECCO treatment guidelines2. CORTIMENT®MMX® is an important new option for treating active mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis.”

Ulcerative colitis is a disease that affects more than 2 million individuals in Europe. It is a chronic inflammatory disease and a life-long condition that affects both the colon and rectum. In cases in which patients are treated with oral 5-ASA and there are is no remission, patients are often treated with systemic corticosteroids that often cause side effects. CORTIMENT® MMX® is an alternative that fulfills this unmet need of oral corticosteroids that display a favorable adverse event profile.

“Ulcerative colitis can be a difficult condition to manage particularly during a flare up with many unpleasant symptoms on a daily basis. There are also significant emotional societal and economic costs. Any new treatment which can induce remission with fewer side effects will be welcomed by people with ulcerative colitis across Europe and beyond,” said a representative of the  European Federation of Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Associations.

Ferring’s President of the Executive Board, Michel Pettigrew, concluded: “With the European launch of CORTIMENT®MMX® a new treatment with a novel formulation for active mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis we are expanding our portfolio and delivering on the Ferring commitment to innovation in gastroenterology.”