The disease affects an estimated 750,000 to 1 million people in the United States. About 20 percent are resistant to standard, currently available treatments. In addition, treatment with current medications may be associated with significant side effects. The cause of the disease is unknown, although there is a slight genetic risk for the disease, and there may be bacterial and environmental triggers as well. Infliximab is a genetically engineered antibody.
Treatment consists of one to three two-hour intravenous infusions of the medication.
Stephen Hanauer, M.D., University of Chicago Medical Center Department of Gastroenterology, and a principal investigator in the clinical trials, said, These patients suffer terribly, and with Infliximab we physicians now have an important option available to treat them. For those resistant to steroids, the medication has also been shown to be effective. Buchman cautions that not all people respond to the treatment, and he is involved in research on other medications to treat resistant Crohn s disease and ulcerative colitis. The University of Texas Houston Health Science Center. Permission to reprint is available upon request.