Review article
PHARMACOLOGY OF BIOLOGIC MEDICATIONS
MARINKO MARUŠIĆ
; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Sveti Duh Clinical Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
SILVIO MIHALJEVIĆ
; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine,Osijek Clinical Hospital Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
Two major types of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Insights into their pathophysiology and inflammatory cascade have lead to the discovery of medications that can have a selective effect on a particular molecule or signal pathway and correct an imbalance in pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators. The first to be developed were the TNF-antagonists, soluble receptors like etanercept and monoclonal antibodies. Infliximab has been approved worldwide for treatment of moderate to severe and active fistulizing forms of Crohn’s disease, as well as for severe forms of ulcerative colitis in adults who do not react to full and adequate corticosteroid and/or immunosuppressive therapy, i.e. for patients who have problems with or medical contraindications to such therapy and for treatments of severe forms of active disease in children. Adalimumab can be applied in cases when antibodies develop as a reaction to infliximab, leading to reduced drug efficacy and allergic reactions. According to the available data from preclinical tests and earlier phases of clinical tests, potential candidates for new biological medications in treating IBDs are another TNF-antagonist (certolizumab), inhibitors of Th1 polarisation (fontolizumab,ustekinumab) and selective adhesion-molecule inhibitors (natalizumab)
Keywords
biologics; inflammatory bowel diseases; TNF- α antagonists
Hrčak ID:
111621
URI
Publication date:
28.11.2013.
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