Study: Humira cuts Crohn's hospital stays

Published: May 22, 2007 at 12:44 PM

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., May 22 (UPI) -- Abbott's Humira appears to reduce hospitalizations for people with Crohn's disease, suggests a new U.S. study.

The phase 3 CHARM study involving 854 patients with moderate to severely active forms of the inflammatory gastrointestinal condition showed patients given Humira were nearly 60 percent less likely to have a Crohn's-related hospital stay compared with placebo -- 5.9 percent of patients versus 13.9 percent.

"Maintaining treatment with Humira was the only independent factor in this analysis that helped patients reduce the risk of Crohn's related hospitalization," said lead researcher Brian Feagan of the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada.

Crohn's disease causes a variety of symptoms that often require hospitalization, including fever, vomiting and intestinal obstruction or infection, which sometimes needs surgery.

Studies show hospitalization accounts for about 60 percent of the disease's cost, Abbott noted, with the average cost per hospital stay for Crohn's estimated at $37,000 per patient.

Crohn's disease is primarily a disease of young adults, usually striking before age 40.

© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
New homes sales rose in October (33 min)
Consumer spending rose in October (46 min)
Jobless claims drop substantially
Bigger crowds expected on Black Friday
Police: Strip club visitor lost truck, son
Durable goods orders slid in October
'Robin Hood' banker sentence suspended
fark
Indiana schools face an epidemic of "ball tapping." You thought of a better headline, but were too...
Don't tase me, doe
Obvious tag doesn't come even close: "Thanksgiving gatherings could spread swine flu"
Two arrested for threatening YouTube rap, are sentenced to read 80,000 barely literate YouTube comments...
Another reason China is kicking our ass: Push button boob jobs with instant D-liscious results
"It often is reported that 46 million turkeys will be eaten on Thanksgiving, and that it is the...