Combination Drug Therapy for Crohn's

Read a few articles (USNews, WebMD) about a new study that showed that a combination of azathioprine and biologics are more effective in treating Crohn's Disease than taking each individually in succession. Normally doctors treat Crohn's by prescribing steroids. If steroids don't work, doctors will move on to azathioprines and then finally biologics if the other two don't work.

Here's an excerpt:

Doctors now start treatment of Crohn's disease with steroids, Sandborn said. If the steroids do not provide relief from the abdominal pain, nausea, fever, weight loss, diarrhea and othersymptoms of the condition, the next step is to use azathioprine, which reduces immune system activity broadly. Only if that fails will they try biologics, newer treatments that include monoclonal antibodies such as infliximab (Remicade). These drugs target a specific part of the immune system.

The trial showed that the azathioprine-alone step should be skipped. "This study suggests that the therapy that follows steroids should include a biologic," Sandborn added.

Therapy with both azathioprine and infliximab appears to be the treatment of choice if steroids are not effective, Sandborn said.

"What this trial shows is that the most effective strategy is combination therapy," he said.

Definitely an interesting finding and good that doctors are finding a more optimal way to treat with traditional medicine.