Methotrexate for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - New Developments

Abstract

Methotrexate (MTX) is an established therapy for patients with steroid-dependent Crohn's disease (CD). MTX is also frequently used in combination with anti-TNF agents to suppress anti-drug antibody formation. It has been suggested in the past that MTX lacks any clinical effectiveness in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC); however, newer data at least partially contradict this assumption. The following review will discuss recent data for the use of MTX in CD, UC and in combination with anti-TNF agents.