Mayo Clinic collaborates to advance Crohn's treatment

October 06, 2008

Outlook for Crohn's disease improves due to new therapies

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A study led by Mayo Clinic has found that infliximab (Remicade®) administered alone (monotherapy) or in combination with azathioprine is a more effective treatment for patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease than azathioprine alone. These findings were presented today at the 2008 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Meeting.

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States. Symptoms include abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, weight loss and diarrhea. Crohn's disease has no known medical cure. One common therapy used to manage the disease is a series of intravenous infusions of infliximab, which blocks tumor necrosis factor, an important cause of inflammation in Crohn's disease. Azathioprine is an orally-administered, small molecule immunosuppressive which has a broad immunosuppressive effect.

"Historically, patients with Crohn's disease have been treated sequentially with steroids, then azathioprine, then monoclonal antibodies such as infliximab. The study definitively demonstrates that infliximab-based strategies are more effective than azathioprine," says William Sandborn, M.D., the lead author and a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic. "Clinicians should consider a shift in practice to incorporate this new data."

The study, conducted at more than 200 sites, included 508 patients who have moderate to severe Crohn's disease. Researchers found that 57 percent of patients who received combination therapy with infliximab and azathioprine achieved steroid-free remission after 26 weeks. This is compared to 44 percent of patients who achieved remission with infliximab monotherapy and 30 percent with azathioprine alone. Both the infliximab combination therapy and infliximab monotherapy groups were statistically superior to the azathioprine group. In addition, 61 percent of patients who received the combination therapy of infliximab and azathioprine also experienced healing of the bowel demonstrated by colonoscopy (mucosal healing). This is important because previous studies have suggested that patients who have mucosal healing are less likely to require hospitalization and surgery.

"Our goal with this study was to determine if infliximab-based treatment strategies were safe and more effective than treatment with azathioprine in these patients," says Dr. Sandborn. "For patients, this new therapy is an opportunity for remission and a significant improvement in quality of life."

Mayo Clinic

---

---

	Azathioprine: Webster's Timeline History, 1959 - 2007 by Icon Group International (Author) Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Azathioprine," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Azathioprine in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Azathioprine when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social...
	Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer: Azathioprine by Sally C. McFarlane-Parrott (Author) The article is excerpted from Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer The resource students and researchers will turn to for reliable, up-to-date and clearly written information, the Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer is a comprehensive survey of 120 cancers, cancer drugs, traditional and alternative treatments and diagnostic procedures. The Encyclopedia includes entries covering cancers, cancer drugs, treatments, side effects and diagnostic procedures. Entries typically include the following elements: Causes and Symptoms Definition Description Diagnosis Prevention Resources Risks Special Concerns And more An appendix provides complete contact information for cancer centers, national support groups, government agencies and research groups. Features include anatomical...
	Single assay can help individualize dosing in IBD. (Azathioprine, 6-Mercaptopurine).(inflammatory bowel disease): An article from: Internal Medicine News by Bruce Jancin (Author) This digital document is an article from Internal Medicine News, published by International Medical News Group on May 1, 2003. The length of the article is 611 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Single assay can help individualize dosing in IBD. (Azathioprine, 6-Mercaptopurine).(inflammatory bowel disease) Author: Bruce Jancin Publication: Internal Medicine News (Magazine/Journal) Date: May 1, 2003 Publisher: International Medical News Group Volume: 36 Issue: 9 Page: 50(1) Distributed by Thomson...
	No shortage of treatment options for IBD: use azathioprine before infliximab. (Clinical Rounds).(inflammatory bowel disease ): An article from: Family Practice News by Bruce Jancin (Author) This digital document is an article from Family Practice News, published by International Medical News Group on June 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1075 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: No shortage of treatment options for IBD: use azathioprine before infliximab. (Clinical Rounds).(inflammatory bowel disease ) Author: Bruce Jancin Publication: Family Practice News (Magazine/Journal) Date: June 1, 2003 Publisher: International Medical News Group Volume: 33 Issue: 11 Page: 27(1) Distributed by Thomson...
	CellCept may control severe atopic dermatitis. (Beat Methotrexate, Azathioprine).: An article from: Skin & Allergy News by Bruce Jancin (Author) This digital document is an article from Skin & Allergy News, published by International Medical News Group on July 1, 2003. The length of the article is 659 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: CellCept may control severe atopic dermatitis. (Beat Methotrexate, Azathioprine). Author: Bruce Jancin Publication: Skin & Allergy News (Magazine/Journal) Date: July 1, 2003 Publisher: International Medical News Group Volume: 34 Issue: 7 Page: 42(1) Article Type: Product/Service Evaluation Distributed by Thomson...
	High-dose IV azathioprine may benefit refractory vasculitis: remission in four patients. (iintravenous).(Dermatologic Therapy): An article from: Skin & Allergy News by Nancy Walsh (Author) This digital document is an article from Skin & Allergy News, published by International Medical News Group on November 1, 2003. The length of the article is 3352 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: High-dose IV azathioprine may benefit refractory vasculitis: remission in four patients. (iintravenous).(Dermatologic Therapy) Author: Nancy Walsh Publication: Skin & Allergy News (Magazine/Journal) Date: November 1, 2003 Publisher: International Medical News Group Volume: 34 Issue: 11 Page: 29(1) Distributed by Thomson...
	Everolimus superior to azathioprine for cardiac allograft vasculopathy.: An article from: Transplant News by Transplant Communications, Inc. (Publisher) This digital document is an article from Transplant News, published by Transplant Communications, Inc. on September 15, 2003. The length of the article is 476 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Everolimus superior to azathioprine for cardiac allograft vasculopathy. Publication: Transplant News (Newsletter) Date: September 15, 2003 Publisher: Transplant Communications, Inc. Volume: 13 Issue: 17 Distributed by Thomson Gale
	Effectiveness of azathioprine combination therapy for atopic dermatitis.(WASHINGTON WHISPERS): An article from: Journal of Drugs in Dermatology by Isaac Brownell (Author) This digital document is an article from Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, published by Thomson Gale on June 1, 2006. The length of the article is 884 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Effectiveness of azathioprine combination therapy for atopic dermatitis.(WASHINGTON WHISPERS) Author: Isaac Brownell Publication: Journal of Drugs in Dermatology (Magazine/Journal) Date: June 1, 2006 Publisher: Thomson Gale Volume: 5 Issue: 6 Page: 567(2) Distributed by Thomson...
	Azathioprine: An entry from Thomson Gale's Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer, 2nd ed. by Sally McFarlane-Parrott (Author), Rebecca, PhD Frey (Author) Students, researchers, and patients can find reliable, up-to-date and clearly written information in “The Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer,” a comprehensive survey of 120 cancers, cancer drugs, traditional and alternative treatments and diagnostic procedures.
	Drugs, pregnancy, & lactation: azathioprine use in bowel disease.(OBSTETRICS): An article from: OB GYN News by Gideon Koren (Author)