Update on ozanimod for ulcerative colitis

Treating moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) has been enriched by the increasing number of drugs available for this disease. However, failure of conventional therapies, an incomplete response, or loss of response to biologics is experienced in many UC patients. Thus, there is still a growing need for new drugs in the therapeutic arsenal for UC. Ozanimod is a sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator which has been recently approved for UC therapy. In this review, we focus on the mechanism of action of ozanimod hydrochloride in preclinical studies of intestinal inflammation as well as its clinical effectiveness and safety in moderate to severe UC patients. In this population, ozanimod was shown to be significantly more effective than placebo to induce clinical remission. Additionally, in terms of clinical response, corticosteroid-free remission, endoscopic improvement and mucosal healing, ozanimod performed significantly better than placebo in this population. No significant safety concerns about ozanimod emerged from clinical trials in UC.