Amar Deshpande, MD: The Future of Multiple Biologics for IBD

As the research on the efficacy and safety of biologics continues to advance, some believe research should begin to focus on combining multiple biologics for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

For many with IBD, biologics end up being the first and best treatment needed for the disorder.

But for some who don’t respond to the first biologic option, could combining multiple biologics be a better pathway for treatment?

In an interview with HCPLive®, Amar Deshpande, MD, Department of Medical Education, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said he would like to see more research done in this area in an effort to really focus on treating patients with IBD who do not respond the first biologic prescribed.

However, because biologics are a fairly new class of treatment, Deshpande said there still are safety concerns that will prevent more widescale research opportunities.

There are also challenges regarding whether or not payers would allow patients to be treated with more than 1 biologic.

However, if research were to prove that more than 1 biologic is both safe and effective, Deshpande believes it could be a transformative option for IBD patients.

Deshpande recently spoke about this topic during the Institutional Perspectives in Gastroenterology: Inflammatory Bowel Disease event chaired by Maria T. Abreu, MD, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine on August 31.