Biologic Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Results from a Single Tertiary Care Center in North Macedonia

Abstract

Medical therapies used for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) include conventional (e.g. 5-aminosalicylates, steroids, immunomodulators) and biologic (e.g. inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor - alpha, integrin inhibitors, interleukin inhibitors) medications. Biologics, due to their high cost, were unfortunately not covered by the public health insurance system in North Macedonia until 2019 and, therefore, not widely utilized for our IBD patients. In 2019, the University Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Skopje developed a biologic therapy supply, provided by the National Health Insurance Fund, making this therapy available for a larger number of patients. This report presents the initial results of our prospective, single tertiary-care center study on the effects of biologic therapy in patients with IBD in North Macedonia. The study is focused on the evaluation of clinical outcomes after anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti TNF-alpha) therapy in IBD patients with prior inadequate response to conventional medications.