GlobalData, a data and analytics company, on Tuesday said that biomarker identification is important for ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment as it allows for early diagnosis, monitoring of disease activity and response to therapy, and prediction of disease progression.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to two autoimmune diseases that cause intestinal inflammation: Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).
According to GlobalData, the market for the UC is filled with several different treatment options, and the pipeline is relatively strong.
Despite this, there remains an unmet need due to the unpredictable nature of UC, the data and analytics company said on Tuesday.
“One key unmet need in the UC space is the lack of discovery of biomarkers or development of diagnostics to predict responsiveness to therapy. There is a lack of reliable biomarkers that are strongly indicative of patient outcomes and disease severity. Biomarkers can also be used to develop new treatments for ulcerative colitis. Additionally, biomarkers can aid in the differentiation of ulcerative colitis from other inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease,” Ramla Salad, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, said in a statement.
There are a multitude of agents currently available on the market that target various molecular targets and receptors, such as TNF inhibitors Janssen’s Remicade (infliximab) and AbbVie’s Humira (adalimumab), but there is currently no way of knowing how effective these agents will be in a certain individual.
“More clinical data is needed to determine the relationship and correlation between inflammatory mediators and disease severity in UC, and how these biomarkers can play a potential role in evaluating the effectiveness of treatment. GlobalData is not aware of any initiatives that are set to fulfill this particularly unmet need, and it remains an area of opportunity,” Salad added.