New Treatments & Clinical Trials for Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting about 500,000 Americans. Current treatments include anti-inflammatory drugs, immune suppressants, and biologic therapies that target specific inflammatory pathways. Many people achieve remission with existing medications, but about 30% still require surgery within ten years of diagnosis.

What's actually going on in research

Trials are testing new biologic drugs that block inflammatory proteins like IL-23 and IL-36, oral JAK inhibitors that work inside immune cells, stem cell therapies for fistulas, and drugs targeting the gut lining itself. Researchers are also studying how to predict which patients will respond to which treatments, and whether treating early can prevent complications.

What to know before you search

Eligibility typically depends on disease severity measured by symptoms and endoscopy, location of disease in the digestive tract, prior treatments tried, and presence of complications like fistulas or strictures.

What types of trials are currently open

• Biologic trials — Testing new antibody treatments that target different parts of the immune system. Usually given by injection or infusion.
• Oral medication trials — Testing pills like JAK inhibitors or other small molecules that can be taken at home instead of requiring infusions.
• Fistula trials — Testing stem cell therapy or other approaches to heal the abnormal tunnels that form between the intestine and other organs.
• Combination trials — Testing whether using two drugs together works better than one alone, especially for people with severe disease.
• Observational studies — Following people with Crohn's disease to understand disease patterns, treatment responses, and long-term outcomes.