Ustekinumab as Induction and Maintenance Therapy for Crohn’s Disease

BACKGROUNDUstekinumab, a monoclonal antibody to the p40 subunit of interleukin-12 and interleukin-23, was evaluated as an intravenous induction therapy in two populations with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease.Ustekinumab was also evaluated as subcutaneous maintenance therapy. CONCLUSIONSAmong patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease, those receiving intravenous ustekinumab had a significantly higher rate of response than did those receiving placebo.Subcutaneous ustekinumab maintained remission in patients who had a clinical response to induction therapy.(Funded by Janssen Research and Development; ClinicalTrials.govnumbers, NCT01369329, NCT01369342, and NCT01369355.