Sulfasalazine (brand name Azulfidine in the U.S. , Salazopyrin and Sulazine in Europe and Hong Kong) was developed in the 1950s specifically to treat rheumatoid arthritis.It was believed at the time that bacterial infections were the cause of rheumatoid arthritis.Sulfasalazine is a sulfa drug, a derivative of mesalazine, and is formed by combining sulfapyridine and salicylate with an azo coupling.he use of sulfasalazine in inflammatory bowel disease has declined due mainly to the fact that it yields the metabolite sulfapyridine which gives rise to side-effects such as agranulocytosis and hypospermia.