Infliximab: A Review of Its Use in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Infliximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha that has changed the management of inflammatory bowel diseases. Our review describes its mean clinical and pharmacological features, in order to resume its efficacy in induction and maintenance of clinical remission in both Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Although its efficacy in induction and maintenance of remission has been established by several clinical trials, the administration of Infliximab is also associated with an increased risk of side effects, in particular in long-term treatment. We also discussed about issues regarding the correct timing to start and to stop biological therapy.