Posted on 07/20/2022 7:57:59 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Two new treatments for Crohn's disease showed roughly equal performance in a clinical trial.
This allows clinicians and patients to make treatment choices based on tolerance, according to Stephen Hanauer, MD.
Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic, progressive inflammatory bowel disease, causing abdominal pain, weight loss and fatigue. Treatment for CD has typically focused on alleviating symptoms to achieve clinical remission using corticosteroids or immunomodulators, but a need for more effective treatment remains.
"While there are numerous therapies and mechanisms of action for drugs approved for moderate-severe Crohn's disease there has been a therapeutic ceiling as far as outcomes are concerned, with usually less than 50% of patients in long-term remission," Hanauer said.
Recently, several biologic agents have been approved for use. Adalimumab is a monoclonal antibody that reduces inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor alpha. Ustekinumab is another monoclonal antibody, though the drug targets a different set of proteins: interleukin 12 and interleukin 23.
In the study, investigators recruited nearly 400 patients with Crohn's disease and randomly assigned them to receive ustekinumab or adalimumab. Patients reaching clinical remission were similar between both groups: 124 (65%) of 191 patients in the ustekinumab group versus 119 (61%) of 195 in the adalimumab group. No deaths occurred through one year of study, though slightly more patients in the ustekinumab group discontinued study treatment before one year had elapsed. Further, patient-reported measures of disease severity decreased similarly over the course of the study.
Both treatment regimens resulted in clinical remission with similar toxicity profiles.
"There are numerous options for patients with moderate-severe disease. However, the key is to treat patients with an effective regimen and treat to targets as early in the course as possible since we do not have any drugs that impact on fibrosis once it occurs," Hanauer said.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
As always, talk with your doctor about what is best for you.
“...I would personally prefer Adalimumab...”
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take B12 and L-Glutamine, and call me in 2 weeks
I know people with this!...................
My brother is having surgery right now one of many because of an infection , he’s been fighting Crohn’s since 1995
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My son’s best friend. He uses cannabis for it.
Wrester and teacher/coach George The Animal Steele (Jim Myers)
When I was in school (yes, more than half a century ago), no one outside the medical community had ever heard of Chron’s Disease. If someone mentions spastic a-holes, we thought they were talking about nurds in a gym class.
When I was in school (yes, more than half a century ago), no one outside the medical community had ever heard of Crohn’s Disease. If someone mentions spastic a-holes, we thought they were talking about nurds in a gym class.
If I had to take one of these, I would personally prefer Adalimumab, as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha influences all sorts of other often oit-of-control inflammatory processes. Interestingly, many antioxidants reduce TNF to achieve their benefit. Diet and exercise can help with this, too.
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I second your assessment. TNF alpha is at the headwaters of cytokines. Look at the cytokine response lists of so many inflammatory diseases and you find TNF alpha most of the time.
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The older drugs like 6-mp and some others had some pretty nasty side effect. They were designed to control tnf as well if I recall correctly. I know folks that kept getting boils and sores, and lung problems while on the drugs. And when flues came around had to be extra careful not to get them if they caused lung issues.
Hopefully the news meds are a bit gentler.
I wonder if controlling tnf would be a way to defeat covid for those most at risk? Crohns and related diseases are where the body turns on itself and attacks it, destroying systems like digestive system, and covid I think is where the body turns on itself too? (Causing cytokin storms)?
I wish him well, it’s an awful disease-
I wonder how much of this explosion in diagnosed cases is due to poor gut biomes due to the lack of fermented foods in the standard western diet.
ping
My son has it. He got it at 17. Did a few years of a genetic infusion treatment then decided to have a few inches of intestine removed.
He’s in total remission since.
That’s wonderful Glad to hear that
She's been on Humira for it for about 8 years for it. I take Humira to manage my Ankylosing Spondylitis. It's been a life-changing drug for me.
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