Janssen’s Stelara shows effectiveness in treatment of Crohn’s disease

Janssen has announced new phase III clinical trial data that demonstrates the benefits its drug Stelara can offer in the treatment of Crohn's disease.

Results from the IM-UNITI trial showed that a significantly greater proportion of adult patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease receiving Stelara as a subcutaneous maintenance therapy were in clinical remission at one year compared to placebo.

The maintenance study evaluated 388 patients who achieved clinical response eight weeks after a single intravenous infusion of Stelara in the earlier UNITI-1 and UNITI-2 phase III induction studies.

Applications seeking approval of Stelara for the treatment of moderate to severely active Crohn's disease are currently under review in the US and Europe.

Dr Newman Yeilding, head of immunology development at Janssen Research and Development, said: "Pending approval, we look forward to bringing Stelara to patients who may benefit from this new therapeutic option and providing gastroenterologists with a new alternative to treat Crohn's disease."

The drug is already approved and available for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and active psoriatic arthritis in many countries.