Crohn’s Disease remission possible with drug combo
by admin ~ August 18th, 2010.
According to a study led by Mayo Clinic, the combination of biologic therapy with immune-suppressing drugs as against use of immune-suppressing drugs alone could be more than useful to suggest remission from Crohn’s disease in an improved manner.
It was remarked by William Sandborn, M.D., gastroenterologist and vice chair of the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester that study results are good enough to change clinical practice.
From Sciencedaily.com:
Researchers found that 57 percent of patients who received combination therapy with infliximab and azathioprine achieved steroid-free remission after 26 weeks. This is compared to 44 percent of patients who achieved remission with infliximab monotherapy and 30 percent with azathioprine alone. Both the infliximab combination therapy and infliximab monotherapy groups were statistically superior to the azathioprine group. These results were durable through week 50 and overall results show comparable safety in the three groups.
Historically, patients with Crohn’s disease have been treated sequentially with steroids, then azathioprine, then monoclonal antibodies such as infliximab. The study definitively demonstrates that infliximab-based strategies are more effective than azathioprine, explains Dr. Sandborn.
“Results of this study will provide doctors and their patients with more information on how to use these drugs most appropriately to most effectively treat Crohn’s disease,” says Dr. Sandborn. “For the first time, we have longer term outcome data on the advantages of combination therapy that will help guide our treatment of patients with Crohn’s disease.”
The study appeared in the April 15, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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