Current Concepts of Pharmacotherapy in Crohn's Disease

Abstract

Background: The incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) is rising, and still many patients have to undergo repeated surgery due to failure of pharmacologic therapy. Results: While the introduction of anti-TNF agents started biologic therapy for CD and revolutionized the management of patients, the number of patients who do not respond to this treatment or lose their initial response to this treatment is still substantial. Therefore, the recent introduction of new therapeutic options with anti-integrins and new anti-cytokines was an important step to provide more effective treatment for our patients. Yet, next to new drugs also new treatment strategies have been proposed. Conclusion: In this article, we will review these new aspects of pharmacologic therapy for CD -patients.