Latest Buzz in Ulcerative Colitis

Over the last week, the ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment landscape has seen some exciting advances, with two new, oral, small molecules making headlines.

Last week, the JAK inhibitor upadacitinib was approved by the FDA for the treatment of moderate-to-severe UC in patients who have an inadequate response or intolerance to one or more TNF inhibitors. Upadacitinib demonstrated significant improvements in clinical remission, and endoscopic, histologic, and mucosal healing compared to placebo. Upadacitinib is not yet approved by Health Canada for this indication.

Additionally, this week, encouraging Phase III trial results from the ELEVATE 12 trial were reported for the S1P receptor modulator etrasimod in patients who had previously failed or were intolerant to at least one conventional, biologic or JAK therapy. These results suggest etrasimod could be another promising option for those patients who are not successful on current therapies.

Achieving remission remains a challenge for many patients with UC and there is currently a significant unmet need for patients who do not respond to current therapies. We are encouraged by these latest milestones and look forward to what this could provide to Canadian UC patients in the future.

-Courtney