Giving Crohn’s drug early ‘cuts need for surgery and further treatment’

Starting people with Crohn’s disease on an advanced therapy soon after diagnosis could dramatically reduce the need for surgery, according to a study.

Prescribing infliximab within two years of diagnosis would be considered “early”, according to University of Cambridge researchers working on the Profile trial, which included 386 newly diagnosed Crohn’s patients from 40 hospitals across the UK.

The study initially set out to test genetic biomarkers in the blood to determine if a person with the condition – which causes parts of the digestive