Etrolizumab for ulcerative colitis: the new kid on the block?

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. Currently approved therapies include prednisone, TNF antagonists and anti-metabolites which often are ineffective and have frequent adverse effects. Consequently, UC patients are always at risk for developing serious complications that affect their quality of life. Therefore, new treatment options are required.

Areas covered: This article discusses etrolizumab, its mechanism and the potential role it can have in the future of treating UC. Etrolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively blocks lymphocyte trafficking and retention in the gut. The safety and efficacy data was reviewed from all randomized placebo-controlled trials which evaluated etrolizumab for the treatment of UC.

Expert opinion: Etrolizumab is an effective and well-tolerated drug for the treatment of UC. It appears to be a promising molecule that can benefit UC patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Anti-integrins
• etrolizumab
• ulcerative colitis

Declaration of interest

Daniel W. Hommes received research grant from Genentech. The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was provided in the preparation of this manuscript.