Novel Drug Shows Promise in Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis

Treatment with investigational duvakitug appeared to improve remission rates among patients with ulcerative colitis and endoscopic response rates in those with Crohn's disease in a phase IIb study.Duvakitug is an anti-tumor necrosis factor-like cytokine 1A monoclonal antibody selected for its potential to decrease inflammation and affect fibrosis.Duvakitug could be an effective induction therapy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, researchers said.

Treatment with investigational duvakitug appeared to improve remission rates among patients with ulcerative colitis and endoscopic response rates in those with Crohn's disease, results from two cohorts of the phase IIb RELIEVE UCCD trial showed.

In the ulcerative colitis cohort, 36% of patients treated with duvakitug 450 mg and 48% of patients treated with duvakitug 900 mg were in clinical remission at week 14 compared with 20% of patients treated with placebo, reported Walter Reinisch, MD, of the Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues.

Among patients in the Crohn's disease cohort, 26% and 48% of patients treated with duvakitug 450 mg and 900 mg achieved an endoscopic response at week 14 compared with 13% of patients in the placebo group, reported Vipul Jairath, MBChB, of Western University in London, Ontario, and colleagues.