Older Adults With UC Do Well With Extended-Release Budesonide

A post hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial presented at the Crohn's & Colitis Congress found older adults diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) and treated with extended-release budesonide tablets appear to have a safety and tolerability profile similar to that of younger individuals, reports MedPage Today . A total of 254 individuals were assigned to receive a 6 mg dose, 255 were assigned to a 9 mg dose, and 258 were assigned to get a placebo. The researchers stratified participants by those 60 or younger and those older than 60 and determined UC exacerbations occurred in 15.8 percent of the younger cohort receiving the 6 mg daily dose of budesonide, versus 21.9 percent of the older group. Among those taking the daily dose of 9 mg, 13.6 percent of the younger participants had exacerbations, compared with 5.6 percent of the older participants. The exacerbation rates for those on a placebo were 13.8 percent and 14.7 percent for the younger and older groups, respectively. "That basically shows there is no major difference by age group," noted Gary Lichtenstein with the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. "What we showed with this analysis is that with this drug, one-size does fit all." Lichtenstein also said no differences in safety concerns were observed in terms of gender.