DDW: Combination Therapy Shows Efficacy for Crohn Disease, Ulcerative Colitis

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By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, Senior Medical Editor, B. Pharm. Last updated on May 5, 2026.

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, May 5, 2026 -- For patients with Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), a fixed-dose co-antibody therapy targeting interleukin-23p19 subunit and tumor necrosis factor-α, JNJ-78934804 (JNJ-4804), is efficacious, according to two studies presented at the 2026 Digestive Disease Week, held from May 2 to 5 in Chicago.

Bruce E. Sands, M.D., from the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of JNJ-4804 in 693 patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn disease with inadequate response or intolerance to one or more systemic therapy (ST) classes in a phase 2b trial. Patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo, guselkumab, golimumab, or JNJ-4804 (low-, mid-, or high-dose) in a 1:2:2:2:2:2 ratio. The researchers found that efficacy rates for the coprimary end points of clinical remission at week (W) 48 and endoscopic response at W48 were greater for high-dose JNJ-4804 than golimumab and greater than or similar to guselkumab in the overall population. Treatment differences were greater in patients with Crohn disease refractory to two or more STs.

Maria T. Abreu, M.D., from the F. Widjaja IBD Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted a similarly designed phase 2b study involving 572 patients with moderate-to-severe UC with inadequate response or intolerance to one or more ST classes. The researchers found that high-dose JNJ-4804 was significantly superior to golimumab and similar to guselkumab for the primary end point of W48 clinical remission, and showed numerically higher, clinically meaningful differences in W48 endoscopic improvement and histologic remission and endoscopic improvement. Patients with UC refractory to two or more ST classes had greater treatment effects.

"By targeting two pathways at once, we may be able to 'outsmart' the immune system and achieve better outcomes," Abreu said in a statement.

Both studies were sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, which is developing JNJ-4804.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-05-06 02:14

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