New Therapeutic Approaches to Crohn's Disease

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Abstract
Crohn's disease is an idiopathic, immunologically mediated disorder in which medically or surgically induced remissions are followed by relapses. The goals of treatment are to induce and then maintain remission through the long-term use of nontoxic agents.1 Several medications that are effective in the short term do not result in sustained remission, and conversely, agents used for maintenance may have minimal effects on active disease. For example, prednisone usually suppresses active inflammation, but long-term use is associated with high rates of relapse and unacceptable toxicity. The most effective drugs for maintenance therapy — mercaptopurine and azathioprine — have limited immediate . . .