Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal inflammatory disorder with an unknown etiology. IBDs have two main attributable causes that include genetic and environmental factors.
Current therapeutic strategies accurately target the pathogenesis of IBD. Beyond conventional immunosuppressive therapy, the development of biological agents aiming at specific disease mechanisms has resulted in more frequent and deeper remission with mucosal healing.
Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Adalimumab is the first fully human monoclonal antibody directed against TNFα.