FDA OKs Tysabri to treat Crohn's disease

Washington -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Tysabri (natalizumab) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease.

The drug, approved in 2006 to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, will be used in Crohn's disease patients with evidence of inflammation who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, conventional therapies, the FDA said.

Crohn's disease is a chronic, inflammatory bowel disease that affects both men and women and for which there is no cure. There are more than 1 million people with Crohn's disease worldwide.

Tysabri is manufactured by Biogen Idec of Cambridge, Mass., and Elan of Dublin, Ireland.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.