Adalimumab in ulcerative colitis: ready for prime time

Ulcerative colitis is one of the two main types of inflammatory bowel disease and is a chronic condition with a significant impact on health-related quality of life. For many patients, currently available treatment options do not provide adequate efficacy or are poorly tolerated. Efforts to identify new agents for the treatment of ulcerative colitis have focused mainly on targeting tumour necrosis factor α, a pro-inflammatory cytokine believed to play a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of the disease. Until recently, there was only one anti-tumour necrosis factor α agent approved for treatment of ulcerative colitis, infliximab, although there were several other such agents approved for the related condition, Crohn's disease, including adalimumab. This year (2012), adalimumab has been approved by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Here, the current evidence regarding use of adalimumab in the treatment of ulcerative colitis is reviewed, with results indicating that adalimumab has compelling efficacy in the treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis.