Drugs for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in which abnormal reactions of the immune system cause inflammation and ulcers on the inner lining of your large intestine.

There are six major classes of medication used to treat ulcerative colitis.

Aminosalicylates (5-ASA) are medications containing 5-aminosalicylic acid that reduce inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract lining, particularly in the colon.

They are used to treat mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis flares and help prevent relapses. They can be administered orally or as enemas and suppositories.

Targeted synthetic small molecules are medications that help reduce inflammation by specifically targeting parts of the immune system. The targets of these medications can play a role in intestinal inflammation. These medications are taken by mouth and they are indicated for adult patients with moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis.

Biologics are used to treat people with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis. Unlike other medications, biologics are protein-based therapies that are created out of material naturally found in life. These medications are antibodies that stop certain proteins in the body from causing inflammation.

Biosimilars are nearly identical copies of other already approved biologic therapies. They have the same effectiveness and safety as the originally approved biological therapy, which is called the originator drug or reference product.

These drugs can cause side effects such as drowsiness, fatigue, constipation, low blood cell counts, and neuropathy (painful nerve damage).

 There is also an increased risk of serious blood clots (that start in the leg and can travel to the lungs).

 These tend to be more likely with thalidomide than with the other drugs.