Comment in South Med J. 1997 May;90(5):567-8. Traditional medical therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes corticosteroids and sulfasalazine. In recent years, several mesalamine derivatives of sulfasalazine have become available. These allow delivery of increased dosages of active medication with minimal side effects. Newer steroid preparations, all investigational at this point, likely will offer efficacy similar to that of prednisone but with an improved side effect profile. Immunosuppressive agents, including 6-mercaptopurine, azathioprine, and likely also methotrexate, are beneficial in treating refractory IBD, particularly in patients with chronic steroid dependence. Cyclosporine has been shown to be remarkably effective in delaying colectomy for severe ulcerative colitis, but its long-term role remains uncertain.