New once-a-month jab can eliminate distressing symptoms for patients with severe bowel diseases like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis in only three months
The once-a-month jab, guselkumab, treats Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, two debilitating conditions which occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in the gut and other parts of the body.
The medicine binds to immune cells that cause this damage, significantly reducing symptoms.
Studies show that more than half of patients with Crohn's – an aggressive condition which can damage the gut as well as the mouth, stomach, and anus – were symptom-free within 12 weeks of starting guselkumab.
About a quarter of patients with ulcerative colitis, where the damage is limited to the gut, experienced a similar benefit after beginning the treatment.
Earlier this month, the drug safety watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, gave the green light for guselkumab to be prescribed in the UK to patients who have failed to respond to other treatments.
It is likely to be rolled out on the NHS within the next year.
About half-a-million people in the UK suffer with Crohn's, which causes severe pain, diarrhoea, exhaustion and weight loss. It can also trigger pain in the joints, anus and eyes.
About a third of patients living with the condition, where the gut lining becomes inflamed, will require surgery.
Ulcerative colitis affects roughly 146,000 people in the UK. Symptoms include diarrhoea, blood in the poo, and regularly needing to go to the toilet.
Both conditions can be controlled by drugs called biologics. These injections limit the damage caused by the immune system to the body.
However, not all patients respond to them. The NHS spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is currently deciding whether to fund guselkumab.
Experts say the £2,250-a-month jab will be a lifeline and crucial addition to the Health Service's bowel disease treatments.
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