Abstract
In recent years, landmark progress has been made in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) -α antibody era has shown that mucosal healing is a key therapeutic goal, and may predict the sustainability of remission or resection-free survival in IBD patients. Further, the anti-TNF-α antibody infliximab (IFX) became an alternative medication for refractory UC in 2010 under the Japan national health reimbursement scheme. However, to induce remission in steroid-refractory UC, currently several therapeutic options are available in Japan including cytapheresis, tacrolimus, and anti-TNF-α biologics, but as yet, there are no guidelines for the sequence and timing of these therapeutic interventions. Additionally, there are many patients who do not respond, or are intolerant, to anti-TNF-α biologics. Recently, new strategies like faecal microbiota transplantation and anti-leucocyte infiltration have been tested for induction and maintenance of remission in IBD patients. This paper provides an overview of the latest treatment options and future perspectives in IBD therapy.
