Clinical perspectives in Crohn's disease. Moving forward with anti-TNF-alpha therapy: current needs and future treatments.

Abstract

Although infliximab continues to make an important contribution to the management of Crohn's disease, its use includes several clinical challenges, including loss of response, loss of tolerability due to acute and delayed infusion reactions, and the need for intravenous administration by a health care provider. Newer anti-tumor necrosis factor-a agents such as certolizumab pegol and adalimumab have been shown in clinical trials to have similar efficacy as infliximab, without the acute and delayed infusion reactions. Further information is needed about infliximab, certolizumab pegol, and adalimumab so we can understand the relationships among these 3 agents in terms of antibody formation, drug concentration, dosing (episodic vs systematic maintenance), concomitant immunosuppressive therapy, and efficacy.