NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A biosimilar version of infliximab appears as effective as the original for treating pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD), and less costly, new research shows. “These baseline data have now enabled us to confidently switch patients from originator to biosimilar, adopting the same prospective methodology to monitor effectiveness, safety and cost,” Dr. Lisa…
IBD Treatments Don’t Seem to Raise Extracolonic Cancer Risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Immunosuppressants and anti-TNF drugs do not appear to increase the risk of extracolonic cancers in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), researchers from Spain report. IBD patients face an increased risk of colon cancer, and some studies have suggested there might be an increased risk of extracolonic cancer. Dr. Maria Chaparro from…
Infliximab Use Not Tied to Malignancy in Pediatric IBD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Immunosuppressive therapy with infliximab (Remicade) for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in pediatric patients is not associated with increased risk of malignancy or hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), according to a Janssen study. Dr. Jeffrey S. Hyams, who worked on the study, calls the finding “reassuring.” He adds in an email to Reuters Health, “our…
Anti-TNFs in Early Puberty May Improve Growth in Pediatric IBD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Anti-TNF drugs are more likely to improve growth in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) if they’re given in the earlier stages of puberty, new findings show.¹ Children who achieve remission are also more likely to have satisfactory growth, the research team reported online on Sept. 21 in the Journal of Pediatric…
FDA Approves Ustekinumab for Crohn’s Disease
(Reuters)—Johnson & Johnson says on Monday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the company’s psoriasis drug, ustekinumab (Stelara), for use in adults with Crohn’s disease. The drug is approved in the U.S. to treat plaque psoriasis and a type of arthritis associated with psoriasis. Crohn’s is a chronic inflammatory condition in the gastrointestinal…
Statin Use Tied to Lower Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Statin use is associated with a lower risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially Crohn’s disease in older patients, new research suggests. “Prior studies have suggested that statins can decrease inflammation and may improve IBD in patients who already have the disease. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show…
Adalimumab & Infliximab Remain in Newborns after Delivery
A recent study showed that, when administered during pregnancy, infliximab takes longer to clear an infant’s system than adalimumab…
Biomarkers Differentiate Crohn’s Disease from Ulcerative Colitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Newly identified biomarkers could aid in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and help guide therapy, Canada-based researchers report. Accurately differentiating between Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is important for ensuring early and appropriate treatment. However, the conditions can’t be reliably distinguished based on clinical symptoms, site of disease,…
2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Insights into the Microbiome
SAN FRANCISCO—The organisms in the gut are remarkably malleable with diet, dangling the possibility that diseases could potentially be affected by the food that people eat, according to an expert here at the 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. Diet Starting with studies of animal feces from zoos and from the wild, in which researchers found that…
Titanium Dioxide Additives May Boost Intestinal Inflammation
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Murine and other studies suggest that titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, widely used as food additives and in drug formulations, may be involved in intestinal inflammation, according to Swiss researchers. As Dr. Gerhard Rogler told Reuters Health by email, “It seems that titanium dioxide nanoparticles are not harmful for a healthy person with…