Infliximab Might Prevent Recurrence of Crohn Disease After Ileal Resection

Infliximab is used as an induction and maintenance therapy for patients with Crohn disease, and open-label study results suggest that the drug might prevent disease recurrence after surgical resection (Arch Intern Med 2007; 167:1804). However, infliximab’s efficacy as a prophylactic therapy has not been investigated in randomized, controlled trials.

Now, researchers have performed such a study in 24 patients with Crohn disease who had ileal or ileocolonic resection at a single U.S. treatment center. Participants were randomized to infliximab (5 mg/kg) at weeks 0, 2, and 6, followed by administration every 8 weeks for 54 weeks, or to placebo. The primary endpoint was endoscopic recurrence at 1 year; a secondary endpoint was histologic recurre…