UChicago Medicine patient first in the world to receive ulcerative colitis drug since FDA approval

A University of Chicago Medicine patient became the first person with ulcerative colitis in the world to receive the drug guselkumab (Tremfya) since its Sept. 11 approval by the FDA for treating moderate to severe ulcerative colitis.

The first dose was administered Sept. 17 to a 35-year-old man who has suffered from this chronic, inflammatory condition for the past 13 years.

Tremfya has been used for many years to treat plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, but it was proven to also be an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis in a global study led by UChicago Medicine’s David T. Rubin, MD, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. The study contributed to the FDA’s approval for its use for this disease.

Tremfya is a monoclonal antibody that targets IL-23, the cytokine that drives many immune diseases, including ulcerative colitis.

“In the clinical trials, guselkumab achieved and maintained remission with excellent safety. It’s great to have another effective option for our patients,” said Rubin, who is also the Director of UChicago Medicine’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center.

The team at the University of Chicago continues to work on novel treatment strategies, including: combination therapies to treat inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD); medications that can shut down production of different inflammatory pathways and reset the immune system; and new approaches to reduce or de-escalate therapies.

Rubin is a paid consultant of Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Tremfya.

UChicago’s Medicine’s IBD Center, one of the oldest centers of its kind, will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2025.