Mazyar Malakouti, MD

In this episode, “Navigating Biologic Therapy Options in IBD,” the panelists explore the evolving treatment journey for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including experiences with biologic therapies and the path toward remission. 

Navigating Biologic Therapy Options in IBD

In this episode, “Navigating Biologic Therapy Options in IBD,” the panelists explore the evolving treatment journey for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including experiences with biologic therapies and the path toward remission. The patient panelist reflects on the importance of communication with the care team, monitoring symptoms, and navigating treatment adjustments over time. Expert faculty discuss the rationale for initiating advanced therapies, including anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, and IL-23 inhibitors, while highlighting the importance of individualized treatment selection based on disease control, tolerability, and patient experience.

Throughout the discussion, the panel reviews the challenges associated with treatment switching and adverse events, including the patient’s experience with side effects while receiving a JAK inhibitor before transitioning to guselkumab, an IL-23 inhibitor. The patient panelist describes significant improvements after starting guselkumab, including resolution of urgency and fecal incontinence, improved dietary confidence, and meaningful changes in daily functioning and quality of life. Expert faculty also discuss the goals of modern IBD management, emphasizing the importance of achieving clinical remission, symptom control, and helping patients return to a more normal quality of life through advanced therapies. The conversation highlights how biologic therapies continue to reshape expectations for long-term disease management and remission in patients with IBD.

The next episode in this series, “Individualizing Biologic Therapy in IBD,” features the panelists discussing how disease severity, disease characteristics, and patient-specific factors influence biologic treatment selection in IBD. The panel also highlights the evolving role of IL-23 inhibitors, including guselkumab, and reviews considerations related to safety, administration, and early treatment intervention.

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Welcome back to another HCP Live Cure Connections series. In this episode “Diagnosis and Early Treatment in IBD”, the panel explores the early patient journey in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including the onset of symptoms, the path to diagnosis, and the transition to specialty gastroenterology care. 

Diagnosis and Early Treatment in IBD

Welcome back to another HCP Live Cure Connections series. In this episode “Diagnosis and Early Treatment in IBD”, the panel explores the early patient journey in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including the onset of symptoms, the path to diagnosis, and the transition to specialty gastroenterology care. Expert faculty and the patient panelist discuss the common gastrointestinal symptoms that often prompt referral to a gastroenterologist, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, fecal incontinence, weight loss, and changes in appetite and quality of life.

The panel also reviews the diagnostic workup for IBD, including laboratory testing, imaging, stool studies, and endoscopic evaluation used to confirm Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. In addition, the discussion highlights the evolving treatment landscape in IBD, including conventional therapies and advanced treatment options such as anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, IL-23 inhibitors, S1P modulators, and JAK inhibitors. Throughout the segment, the patient panelist shares personal experiences navigating symptoms and treatment decisions, while expert faculty provide clinical context around referral patterns, treatment selection, and the importance of individualized care in managing IBD.

In the next episode, “Navigating Biologic Therapy Options in IBD,” panelists will continue their discussion on inflammatory bowel disease and highlight the patient experience with biologic therapy, including treatment transitions, symptom improvement, and the impact of remission on daily life and long-term quality of life.

Mazyar Malakouti, MD

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