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Biologic Therapy of Crohn’s Disease: Certolizumab

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Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

Certolizumab is a PEGylated anti-TNF-alpha agent, subcutaneously administered, developed for the treatment of patients affected by Crohn’s disease (CD). It is a Fab fragment, manufactured through recombinant DNA technology and protein engineering, which binds and neutralizes soluble and membrane-bound TNF-alpha. Certolizumab has been licensed in the USA and Switzerland for the treatment of moderate-to-severe CD, refractory to conventional treatment. Pivotal trials demonstrated the clinical efficacy of certolizumab for induction ad maintenance therapy in this category of patients, including also who had failed anti-TNF-alpha. To date, there have been only few published experiences from clinical practice on unselected patients treated with certolizumab. Certolizumab is generally well-tolerated, with a safety profile comparable to other anti-TNF-alpha. This chapter summarizes all effectiveness and safety data on certolizumab in CD.

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Abbreviations

CD:

Crohn’s disease

CRP:

C-reactive protein

CDAI:

Crohn’s disease activity index

HBI :

Harvey–Bradshaw Index

CDEIS:

Crohn’s disease endoscopic index of severity

SD:

Standard deviation

SCR:

Steroid-free complete response

CI:

Confidence interval

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBD Unit, Complesso Integrato Columbus, Gemelli Hospital Catholic University Foundation, Via G. Moscati 31, 00168, Rome, Italy

    Alessandro Armuzzi M.D., Ph.D. & Daniela Pugliese

Authors
  1. Alessandro Armuzzi M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Daniela Pugliese
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Correspondence to Alessandro Armuzzi M.D., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Charité Medical School—Humboldt-University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Daniel C. Baumgart

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Armuzzi, A., Pugliese, D. (2017). Biologic Therapy of Crohn’s Disease: Certolizumab. In: Baumgart, D. (eds) Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33703-6_33

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33703-6_33

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-33701-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-33703-6

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