FDA Approves New Drug for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease Patients

As of Monday, an advisory panel of medical experts voted to recommend the approval of a drug for both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease developed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. according to Reuters. 

"We are very pleased with the advisory committee's recommendation. People with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease are in need of additional treatment options, as many patients lose response to currently available treatments," said Asit Parikh, M.D., Ph.D., vice president, general medicine, Takeda, via the FDA. "Vedolizumab was designed to treat inflammation in the GI tract, and if approved, may offer an additional option for patients suffering from ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease."

The officials found that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks of the biotech product, vedolizumab, and advised that the Food and Drug Administration approve it for use for the two health conditions that had not been previously involved in therapy treatments.

The press release notes that ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are two of the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that are marked by inflammation of the GI tract. Many symptoms involving the health issues involve abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss and fever. Though there is no cure at this time, there are several treatments available as well as screenings to check on the progression of the problem.