FDA Approves New Ulcerative Colitis Treatment (tofacitinib)
Published: June 1, 2018
On May 30th of this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new treatment for moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Tofacitinib, which is made by Pfizer Labs, was previously approved in 2012 for rheumatoid arthritis and in 2017 for psoriatic arthritis.
The FDA’s official statement can be found here.
FDA approval of a new treatment for any disease is a major achievement, requiring the efforts of thousands of people. The story of tofacitinib began in the mid-90s with a partnership between Pfizer scientists and the laboratory of John O’Shea, an immunologist at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
Since that time, hundreds of dedicated researchers have contributed to the development of this product. Among pharmaceutical scientists, the chance to contribute to a program that results in FDA approval is considered to be a special distinction and privilege. We offer our congratulations to them, and to the many other individuals who have contributed to this program – including but not limited to the clinical investigators and especially the thousands of patients who participated in clinical trials of tofacitinib.
Gerard Honig, PhD is the Translational Research Manager at the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Gerard can be reached at +1 646 943 7479 or at [email protected].