Vedolizumab Is Better for Ulcerative Colitis Than Crohn's Disease

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Dec 18, 2014 | Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator | @kanaazpereira

In December 2013, two Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committees voted in favor of recommending vedolizumab for treatment of both types of inflammatory bowel disease. A theoretical concern about vedolizumab is the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a potentially fatal brain infection associated with vedolizumab's parent molecule, natalizumab (Tysabri), which is approved for use in both multiple sclerosis and CD. Edward V. Loftus Jr., M.D., a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, points out that natalizumab affects adhesion molecules at the level of the blood-brain barrier system as well as in the gut. "The goal has always been to develop more gut-specific targets," he says.

Read more about vedolizumab in the Digestive Diseases update.

To learn more about IBD, visit mayoclinic.org/ibd.