Thiopurine drugs continue to be a cornerstone of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment. Thiopurines are economical compared with many newer medical treatments for IBD, other chronic inflammatory diseases and leukaemia, although they are not without their shortcomings. These include a slow-onset therapeutic action and many adverse drug reactions. This feature article surveys published data, unpublished in vitro and in vivo experiments, as well as clinical experience, underpinning a rationale for bringing a novel thiopurine drug formulation to market. This formulation has a rapid action making it suitable for the induction and maintenance treatment of IBD and avoids most thiopurine-associated adverse reactions.

硫嘌呤药物仍然是炎症性肠病（IBD）治疗的基石。与硫代嘌呤相比，许多较新的治疗IBD，其他慢性炎症性疾病和白血病的药物更经济，尽管它们并非没有缺点。这些包括起效缓慢的治疗作用和许多药物不良反应。这篇专题文章对已发表的数据，尚未发表的体外和体内实验以及临床经验进行了调查，为将新型硫嘌呤药物制剂推向市场提供了理论依据。该制剂具有快速作用，使其适于IBD的诱导和维持治疗，并且避免了大多数与硫嘌呤相关的不良反应。