Studies show Humira tests successfully to treat Crohn's

CHICAGO According to new studies, Abbott’s moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis drug treatment Humira has been proven to successfully manage the long-term disease symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Symptoms of the drug include inflammation, abdominal pain, skin rashes, arthritis, and inflammation of the eye.

The drug is also used to treat moderate to severe polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis in adults, and ankylosing spondylitis or arthritis of the spine and sacroiliac joints, as well as moderate to severe Crohn’s disease.

Results of an extension of the CHARM trial showed that 77 percent of patients taking Humira were in remission in the first year maintained remission after an additional year. Also, two-thirds of Crohn’s patients in the GAIN study achieved clinical response and 40 percent remained in clinical remission at one year.

Last year, Humira had sales in the U.S. of over $1.6 billion, according to Abbott.