Humira Effective in Long-term Treatment of Crohn's Disease

Results from a recent phase 3 studydetailed the efficacy of adalimumab(Humira) in the treatment of Crohn's disease.Study participants initially wereenrolled in CLASSIC I (CLinical assessmentof Adalimumab Safety and efficacyStudies as an Induction therapy inCrohn's), a randomized, double-blind,placebo-controlled, multicenter study ofHumira's safety and efficacy in treatingCrohn's. After 4 weeks, 55 patients wenton to participate in CLASSIC II, a study todetermine how well Humira maintainedremission. Patients received 40 mg ofHumira either every week or every otherweek. At 1 year, 74% of patients in theevery-other-week group maintainedremission, compared with 44% in theplacebo group, while 83% of patients inthe every-week group maintained remission,compared with 44% in the placebogroup. Researchers used the Crohn'sDisease Activity Index to measure remission,which bases its scores on patientwellness, daily number of liquid and wetstools, and severity of abdominal pain,among other factors. Because there is nocure, the immediate goal in treatingCrohn's is to suppress the inflammatoryresponse in order to let the intestinal tissueheal, which is why maintainingremission is vital to allowing Crohn'spatients to gain more control of their disease.

Ms. Farley is a freelance medicalwriter based in Wakefield, RI.