A drug currently used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s diseases could also be used for treating patients with a serious intestinal disorder, stubborn cases of ulcerative colitis.

Review co-author Dr. Anthony Kwaku Akobeng said people with active ulcerative colitis and not responding to corticosteroids or immunosuppressive agents could be helped by infliximab as the drug has the ability to induce critical response for promoting mucosal healing and reducing need for colectomy, at least in the short term.

From Sciencedaily.com:

“Infliximab is another option if steroids fail,” said Peter Higgins, M.D., an assistant professor in gastroenterology at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.

Still, infliximab “has known infectious risks, which while rare, can be fatal,” said Higgins, who was not involved with the review. He added that it’s not clear if it’s a better option than cyclosporine, another drug commonly used when other medications fail.

The disease afflicts an estimated 600,000 Americans, and occurs when ulcers form in the rectum and colon, leading to frequent diarrhea and bleeding.

According to Higgins, the causes of ulcerative colitis aren’t clear, but they may have something to do with an interaction between a person’s genetic makeup and another factor, such as infection or the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, a class of painkillers that includes ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve).

The review of studies appeared in an issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, which is an international organization evaluating medical research.