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[Consensus for infliximab treatment of patients with Crohn's disease]
1Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, afd. Maag-, Darm- en Leverziekten, CX Utrecht. g.p.vanbergehenegouwen@digd.azu.nl
Very recently infliximab--a tumour necrosis factor blocking antibody--was registered as an important novel immunomodulating therapy for active Crohn's disease in the Netherlands. Although this treatment can have a very significant and sometimes dramatic effect (on remission induction), its longterm effects are still uncertain and the high cost is a major drawback. An expert committee of specialists in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the Netherlands therefore produced a consensus report on specific treatment indications for its use. It is stated that only immunosuppressive-resistant patients or patients with incompatibilities and allergies to prednisone, azathioprine and methotrexate should be candidates, a second indication being patients with serious enterocutaneous fistulae not reacting to a full course of conventional therapy. Its use is not indicated in patients with stenosing disease. It is also stated that the effect of longterm repeated therapy in active Crohn's disease still has to be established. Since budget limitations for medications are a major disadvantage, the formation of expert committees (with an expert in the treatment of complicated inflammatory bowel disease) in each hospital should be stimulated to limit the treatment to only cases with real immunosuppressive-resistant disease.
Very recently infliximab--a tumour necrosis factor blocking antibody--was registered as an important novel immunomodulating therapy for active Crohn's disease in the Netherlands. Although this treatment can have a very significant and sometimes dramatic effect (on remission induction), its longterm effects are still uncertain and the high cost is a major drawback. An expert committee of specialists in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the Netherlands therefore produced a consensus report on specific treatment indications for its use. It is stated that only immunosuppressive-resistant patients or patients with incompatibilities and allergies to prednisone, azathioprine and methotrexate should be candidates, a second indication being patients with serious enterocutaneous fistulae not reacting to a full course of conventional therapy. Its use is not indicated in patients with stenosing disease. It is also stated that the effect of longterm repeated therapy in active Crohn's disease still has to be established. Since budget limitations for medications are a major disadvantage, the formation of expert committees (with an expert in the treatment of complicated inflammatory bowel disease) in each hospital should be stimulated to limit the treatment to only cases with real immunosuppressive-resistant disease.