Takeda announces positive phase III data for ulcerative colitis drug

Takeda has announced positive phase III clinical trial data for vedolizumab, its new treatment for moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis.

Results from the international placebo-controlled Gemini I study have shown that vedolizumab is able to improve remission rates among patients who have failed at least one conventional therapy in the past.

Takeda's drug met both of the trial's primary endpoints by providing statistically significant improvements in clinical response in the induction phase and clinical remission in the maintenance phase.

More detailed results from the study – which involved almost 900 patients based at 210 sites across 34 nations – will be presented at a future medical congress.

Dr Tadataka Yamada, chief medical and scientific officer at Takeda, said: "We are very pleased with the outcomes of this pivotal trial and the potential that vedolizumab holds for patients with this debilitating disease."

Last month, positive data from clinical studies and analyses persuaded the European Commission to offer an endorsement of the positive benefit-risk balance of Takeda's pioglitazone-containing medicines for type 2 diabetes.