Reference no: EM131650896

Question: Infliximab. In an article appearing in the journal The Lancet in 2002, medical researchers reported on the experimental use of the arthritis drug infliximab in treating Crohn's disease. In a trial, 573 patients were given initial 5-mg injections of the drug. Two weeks later, 335 had responded positively. These patients were then randomly assigned to three groups. Group I received continued injections of a placebo, Group II continued with 5 mg of infliximab, and Group III received 10 mg of the drug. After 30 weeks, 23 of 110 Group I patients were in remission, compared with 44 of 113 Group II and 50 of 112 Group III patients. Do these data indicate that continued treatment with infliximab is of value for Crohn's disease patients who exhibit a positive initial response to the drug?