Treatment-resistant IBD may benefit from new combo antibody therapy

Researchers estimate that more than 4.9 million people globally are living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — an umbrella term for two conditions, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease , that negatively impact the body’s digestive system. There is currently no cure for IBD.

Current treatments focus on lowering inflammation and symptom relief through the use of medications , lifestyle changes, and surgery, in the hopes of achieving remission . Unfortunately, not all medications work for everyone with IBD.

Past studies show that between one-third to one-half of people with IBD don’t respond to any type of therapy. Now, two new studies recently presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2026 report that a combination of two medications may offer better results in treating IBD than using each drug individually, especially in people where other therapies had previously failed.

The findings of these studies have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.