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Effect of Biologic Therapies in Treating Moderate-to-Severe Ulcerative Colitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Ooha Thadiboina1, Syed Saim Ali Shah2, Rubela Ray3
1Internal Medicine, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, IND.
Cureus
|July 14, 2025
Summary
Biological therapies effectively treat moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC). This review confirms biologics significantly improve clinical response, remission, and mucosal healing compared to placebo in UC patients.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
- Moderate-to-severe UC requires effective therapeutic strategies.
- Biological therapies offer a promising treatment avenue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the efficacy of biologic agents.
- To assess induction of clinical response, remission, and mucosal healing in moderate-to-severe UC.
- To evaluate biologics against placebo in UC patients.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library.
- Inclusion of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies.
- Random-effects meta-analysis of primary outcomes: clinical response, remission, and mucosal healing.
Main Results:
- Biologics significantly outperformed placebo in inducing clinical response (OR: 2.19), remission (OR: 3.10), and mucosal healing (OR: 1.66).
- High heterogeneity (I² > 50%) observed for most outcomes.
- Evidence quality ranged from low to moderate.
Conclusions:
- Biologic therapies demonstrate significant efficacy in inducing response, remission, and mucosal healing for moderate-to-severe UC.
- Further high-quality comparative studies are needed for direct biologic comparisons and long-term outcome evaluation.
Keywords:
a systematic reviewbiologic therapiesclinical remissionmeta-analysisulcerative colitis (uc)More Related Videos
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