Drug relieves Chron's disease To view this site, use Netscape 3.0 or later. To view this site as it was designed, please use Netscape 3.0 or later browser. Drug Relieves Crohn's disease A new drug out in October that offers relief for sufferers of Crohn s disease a painful gastrointestinal illness was tested in a clinical trial at UT-Houston . Alan Buchman, M.D., associate professor in the Medical School Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition , conducted the local clinical trial with Infliximab. The study found that the drug decreased the number and size of fistulas significantly.
Fistulas are abnormal connections from a patient s intestine to the skin or other organs.
Crohn s disease is a chronic illness that causes severe inflammation and ulcers throughout the gastrointestinal tract. This may include the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestine, colon and rectum. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, bleeding, weight loss, fatigue and arthritis. Infliximab is the first major advancement in the treatment of Crohn s disease in 20 years, Buchman said. It is the first product documented in a controlled clinical trial to reduce the number and size of open fistulas significantly.