Psoriasis drug risankizumab approved for Crohn’s disease in the UK

Health chiefs have given the green light to risankizumab for NHS patients with difficult-to-treat Crohn’s disease.

Risankizumab – currently used for psoriasis – blocks immune cells that drive serious bowel damage in people with bowel disease, Crohn’s. It is hoped that many people with Crohn’s will now be spared surgery to remove damaged sections of their bowel that leaves them with a stoma bag to collect waste.

“There is a big need for new medication in Crohn’s disease because we have so many patients who don’t respond to treatment or find the side effects unpleasant,” explains Dr Mark Samaan, consultant gastroenterologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. “Risankizumab is a promising and exciting option. Hard-to-treat patients seem to respond well and the rate of side effects is low.”

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