Teduglutide in Crohn's disease

Abstract

Introduction: The currently available medications for treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) include aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, antibiotics, immunomodulators and biologic agents (infliximab, certolizumab pegol, adalimumab and natalizumab). These agents target the immune and inflammatory pathways of CD, while there is a shortage of agents that target the barrier functions of the gut that are impaired in CD. Glucagon-like peptide 2 is an enterogastrone with strong trophic effects on the intestinal mucosa. Teduglutide, the analog of glucagon-like peptide has been already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a treatment of short bowel syndrome. This review discusses the potential use of teduglutide in patients with CD.

Areas covered: As there has been only one randomized placebo controlled trial of teduglutide in CD, there is a shortage of data regarding the efficacy of this agent in CD. The literature search was performed using Medline database with the use of the following key words: teduglutide, glucagon-like peptide-2, CD and inflammatory bowel disease.

Expert opinion: Based on available data, it can be concluded that this agent seems to be a promising medication in CD and further trials are required to define the place of teduglutide in treatment of CD.

Keywords::

• clinical trial
• Crohn's disease
• inflammatory bowel disease
• teduglutide