Ulcerative Colitis

In severe cases, individuals may have diarrhea 10 to 20 times a day, which may lead to dehydration, fever, hospitalization and blood transfusions.

Participants in the study, which is sponsored by PDL BioPharma, Inc., will receive visilizumab, a monoclonal antibody that is designed to target and block the action of T cells, the same cells believed to cause UC, with the aim of significantly reducing the symptoms of UC and potentially delaying the need for colectomy, or surgical removal of the colon.

“More than one million people worldwide suffer from Plevy, M.D., an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

“An estimated 25 to 40 percent of these patients eventually fail to respond to oral and intravenous steroids, and their only treatment option is invasive surgery to remove their colon.” Dr.

Plevy also is a co-director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and a ...

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