Mirikizumab for treating moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease

Mirikizumab is in clinical development for the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease in adults who have had intolerance, loss of response or inadequate response to previous therapy. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Genetics, immune system irregularities, smoking, a stomach bug and abnormal gut bacteria balance are thought to play a role in the cause of Crohn’s disease. There's no cure for Crohn's disease, but treatment can help reduce or control symptoms. The effectiveness of current available treatments is limited as some patients may have an inadequate response to, or may not tolerate a drug, thus resulting in discontinuation of therapy or suboptimal treatment. As such, a significant unmet need remains as suboptimal treatment is associated with higher rates of surgery, hospitalisation, and/or prolonged steroid use as well as impaired quality of life.