Takeda receives NICE approval for new ulcerative colitis drug

Takeda has received approval from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the manufacture of a new drug designed to treat ulcerative colitis, entitled Entyvio.

Currently, around 146,000 people in the UK are living with the disease, which causes severe inflammation of the large intestine, leading to painful digestive issues.

The treatments available for the condition at the moment are not especially effective, but Takeda believes its new drug Entyvio – or in scientific terms, vedolizumab – can help to lessen the symptoms of the illness. It specifically targets the immune system in the gut, leaving the rest of the body's biological defences unaffected.

Chris Probert, vice-chair of the Clinical Advisers Committee for Crohn's and Colitis UK and professor of gastroenterology at the University of Liverpool, commented: "For our patients, achieving long-lasting remission with minimal side effects if the goal of treatment and this has been proven in clinical trials for vedolizumab."