A new study out of the Mayo Clinic published by the Annals of Internal Medicine has shown that Humira (adalimumab) is effective for adults that don't respond to Remicade (infliximab). While Remicade is still one of the top (if not the top) drug used in treating Crohn's today, quite a few people eventually become allergic to it. That might be related to the fact that it's mouse component. At any rate for those folks there were few options left so this is welcome news indeed.
"Approximately 50 percent of Crohn's disease patients who receive repeated administration of infliximab will eventually develop an allergic reaction, need higher doses, or completely stop responding to the therapy," says William J. Sandborn, M.D., the lead author and a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic. "Our goal with this study was to determine if adalimumab was a safe and effective alternative for these patients. This study demonstrates that in the short term, adalimumab can be safely administered to Crohn's disease patients who are intolerant of infliximab," says Dr. Sandborn. "For those patients, this new therapy is a second chance at remission and a significant improvement in quality of life."
Adalimumab shows potential for Crohn's disease