6-Mercaptopurine/Azathioprine remains an important contributor in managing Crohn's disease

Burton I Korelitz; Daniel H Present

doi:10.1016/j.crohns.2013.12.024

6-Mercaptopurine/Azathioprine remains an important contributor in managing Crohn's disease

J Crohns Colitis. 2014 Aug;8(8):735-8. doi: 10.1016/j.crohns.2013.12.024. Epub 2014 Jan 22.

Authors

Burton I Korelitz¹, Daniel H Present²

Affiliations

¹ Gastroenterology, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY, United States; New York University School of Medicine, United States. Electronic address: bkorelitz@nshs.edu.
² ICAHN School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, United States.

PMID: 24462321
DOI: 10.1016/j.crohns.2013.12.024

Abstract

Two large studies concluded that AZA started early after diagnosis of Crohn's disease have no late maintenance value. This is contrary to previous studies on 6MP for Crohn's disease and could lead to negating the value of two of the few drugs that have been proven successful. We here outline the many reasons why 6MP remains a valuable drug in the treatment of Crohn's disease.

Keywords: 6-Mercaptopurine; Azathioprine; Crohn's disease.

MeSH terms

Azathioprine / therapeutic use*
Crohn Disease / drug therapy*
Humans
Immunosuppressive Agents / therapeutic use*
Mercaptopurine / therapeutic use*
Treatment Outcome

Substances

Immunosuppressive Agents
Mercaptopurine
Azathioprine