New Crohn's Disease Drug Shows Promise

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In one of the studies, 668 patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease received 400 milligrams of the injectable drug three times over four weeks. Those who responded were assigned to more of the drug or a placebo.

According to the team led by Dr. Stefan Schreiber of Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, 48 percent of patients who showed an early response to the drug were still in remission in the 26th week after staying on the drug. In comparison, just 29 percent of patients who responded to the drug early but were then assigned to a placebo later went into remission.

In the other study, this time led by Dr. William Sandborn of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., 662 patients took the drug or a placebo three times over a four-week period and then once every four weeks. Patients had a better short-term result if they took the drug, but the long-term remission rates were nearly identical between the two groups.

In other words, the two studies of the same drug produced somewhat different results. Still, commentary author Lewis wrote that they suggest that the drug is an "effective therapy."

If approved, the drug would offer an alternative to the two existing similar drugs, he said. "It appears that patients who lose response to or become intolerant of one anti-TNF medication may respond to another anti-TNF medication. Thus, we may ultimately see patients switching between the different anti-TNF medications."

Dryden, the University of Louisville professor, said that the new drug's convenience may appeal to patients. It may need to be injected only once every month, a procedure that could be done at home, compared to other drugs that must be administered more often, he said.

According to Lewis, it's unlikely that studies will measure the new drug and the two old ones against each other, meaning they may end up being prescribed based on their perceived effectiveness, cost, and ease of use.

More information

Learn more about Crohn's disease from the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.