[New treatment options for inflammatory bowel diseases]

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are incurable diseases sharing common features in pathogenesis but usually presenting a different clinical picture. Current medications are effective for some patients only, and an already achieved response can be lost. Better knowledge of inflammatory mechanisms has enabled the development of new treatments, and new drugs are entering clinical application. Patients unresponsive to TNFalpha blockage continue to be specially challenging, as good and effective treatment options for them are scarce.