Infliximab targets TNF, thought to be more related to Th1 cytokines. Ulcerative colitis was thought to be a Th2 disease, and Infliximab of limited use. However, patients with ulcerative colitis have begun to be treated with infliximab on the basis of two large clinical trials conducted in 2005 by Paul Rutgeerts and William Sandborn.
The ACT 1 and ACT 2 (Acute ulcerative Colitis Treatment) trials evaluated the utility of infliximab in ulcerative colitis and showed that 44-45% of patients treated with infliximab for a year maintained a response to the medication, compared with 21% of patients who were treated with placebo medication.
At 2 months, the response was 61-69% for patients treated with infliximab, and 31% for those who were treated with placebo.
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