Highlight
This article reviews the importance of early disease clearance in ulcerative colitis (UC), as evidenced by the phase 3 UNIFI program assessing ustekinumab therapy. Key findings include: (1) Disease clearance at 8 weeks post-induction therapy correlates strongly with superior long-term clinical remission and quality of life. (2) Patients achieving simultaneous symptomatic remission and histo-endoscopic mucosal improvement (HEMI) early demonstrate more than double the likelihood of sustained remission at 44 weeks compared to those who do not. (3) Four-year follow-up highlights the potential of ustekinumab as a maintenance therapy to secure durable responses in UC. This underscores the clinical imperative to achieve rapid and complete control of inflammation in UC management.
