Novel Biologics for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

At present we have agents effective for the treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis; however, no treatment available is considered to be ideal. The characteristics of an ideal treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC) would include an ability for patients treated to achieve normal bowel function and normal quality of life, and this medication should have an ability to induce clinical remission rapidly and maintain remission over an extended period of time while achieving mucosal healing with minimal side effects. The ideal agent should be cheap and easy to administer and eliminate the need for steroids, hospitalizations, and surgeries while preventing the long-term complication of colon cancer development.