A long-term vedolizumab treatment for ulcerative colitis looks promising.
+ Technology/Innovation
Amanda Rupp | Mar 25, 2016

Long-term vedolizumab treatment for ulcerative colitis shows promise

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited recently announced that the interim findings from its GEMINI Long-Term Safety (LTS) study have shown positive results among clients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC).

The study required that the patients take vedolizumab treatments for up to 152 weeks.

“Interim findings revealed very encouraging levels of remission for patients with ulcerative colitis with approximately three years of treatment and also provided valuable insights about how treatment history may impact treatment success,” Edward Loftus, professor of gastroenterology at the Mayo Clinic, said. “Achieving long-term remission is the treatment goal for all patients living with inflammatory bowel diseases, so it is essential that studies like this are conducted to help us understand the long-term efficacy and safety of the treatment options we prescribe.”

The analysis, presented at the 2016 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization (ECCO) Annual Scientific Meeting in Amsterdam, suggests that it took three years of treatment for the patients to experience positive results.

“The pivotal phase-three GEMINI clinical trial program was the largest ever conducted simultaneously in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and continues to yield a great depth of information around the safety and efficacy of vedolizumab,” Michael Smyth, global brand medical director of gastroenterology for Takeda, said. “Takeda is committed to studying the long-term efficacy and safety of vedolizumab in order to equip the medical community with the best possible tools and data to address the needs of patients who are impacted with these diseases, which are chronic in nature and require long-term treatment.”

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