Emerging Therapies for Ulcerative Colitis: Updates from Recent Clinical Trials

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and progressive inflammatory disorder that affects the colon. The advent of advanced therapies such as biologic agents and small molecules has revolutionized the management of UC. Despite the expanding therapeutic armamentarium of advanced therapies to treat UC, the overall net remission rates and durability of currently available agents are relatively low. This highlights the need for further drug development and more innovative clinical trial design. There are currently multiple emerging agents in the pipeline for the management of UC. This includes agents with alternative routes of administration such as oral or subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor inhibitors or novel mechanisms of action such as toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist cobitolimod and phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor apremilast. In this review, we will highlight novel and emerging advanced therapies currently in the pipeline for the management of UC.

Efficacy and safety of moxibustion for ulcerative colitis: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

“… 12 In addition, biological therapies have gained increasing attention as more specific agents in the treatment of UC in recent years. However, the durability and overall net remission rates of currently available drugs for biological therapies are relatively low, 13 which limits its clinical application. As a result, concerns about inadequate response or side effects to available drugs have led many patients to seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies.…”

Sterile Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Boosts Anti-Inflammatory T-Cell Response in Ulcerative Colitis Patients

“…To date, the only available therapy is a spectrum of anti-inflammatory medications, ranging from moderately light non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs to severe hormonal and cytostatic drugs. Despite the progress made with the introduction of novel antiinflammatory immunotherapy, the overall remission net rate remains low [1]. One of the potential explanations is that the state of immune system activity is not the primer for the inflammation in this case [2], and blocking one or the other immune pathway does not play a long-term role, as another type of response may be activated towards an unknown factor or a group of factors.…”

Protective Effects of Four Structurally Distinct Sanshools Ameliorate Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Ulcerative Colitis by Restoring Intestinal Barrier Function and Modulating the Gut Microbiota

“…The pathogenesis involves an interaction between environmental, genetic, and immunological factors [2]. The incidence of UC in Western developed countries was much higher than that in developing countries, which were 19.2 and 24.3/100,000 in Canada and Northern Europe, respectively [3]. However, it has risen rapidly in the East over the recent years.…”