Jean-Frederic Colombel, MD: The Commitment to Biologics for IBD

It can be a long, painstaking process to develop new drugs for any disease.

However, the progress made in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatments due to the advent of biologics has been impressive for many in the industry.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Jean-Frederic Colombel, MD, Director Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explained the added value biologics have given to IBD treatments and why there still remains some gaps in treatment for this patient population.

Colombel recently took part in a HCPLive® State of the Science event called Institutional Perspectives in Gastroenterology: Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which was chaired by Bruce E. Sands, MD, Chief of the Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Dr. Burrill B. Crohn Professor of Medicine.

Some of the biologics currently approved and showing success in treating either ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease include anti-TNF agents such as infliximab, natalizumab, and vedolizumab.

However, there is still a segment of patients that do not respond to this class of medications, highlighting the need for new biologics, as well as other classes of drug to help treat patients.

And while biologics have come a long way in a few short years, Colombel said it likely will take about a decade to develop and test new treatments.