Takeda's vedolizumab shows efficacy in colitis and Crohn's disease

A new investigational antibody – vedolizumab - from Japan’s largest drugmaker, Takeda Pharmaceuticals (TYO: 4502) is an effective treatment for patients who suffer from Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)when other treatments fail, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (August 22) has found.

Chronic and debilitating diseases, CD and UC are the two most common types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and affect more than four million people worldwide, including approximately 1.4 million Americans and 2.2 million Europeans. Vedolizumab is designed to specifically antagonize the alpha4beta7 integrin, which is expressed on a subset of circulating white blood cells that have been shown to play a role in mediating the inflammatory process in CD and UC.

"The publication of these study findings is important since the results support the potential for vedolizumab, if approved, to help manage symptoms in some patients for whom certain previous treatments have failed," said Brian Feagan, professor of medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics at the University of Western Ontario, Canada and GEMINI lead investigator, quoted by Takeda, adding: "The data from the GEMINI program suggest that vedolizumab may provide people living with CD and UC an additional option for inducing and maintaining clinical remission."