18 min read
Entyvio: The Only IBD Drug That Stays in the Gut
Eleven years after approval, Entyvio remains the only IBD drug that acts only in the gut — and two large pharma programs have failed trying to replicate it.
Tysabri (natalizumab) blocks α4 integrin broadly — and 541 patients developed fatal brain infections. Entyvio (vedolizumab) blocks only α4β7, which binds MAdCAM-1 on gut endothelium. One Greek letter difference. Over a million patient-years, no REMS, no MRI surveillance. Takeda's $6 billion franchise is built on that subtraction — and on a head-to-head trial where vedolizumab beat Humira directly in ulcerative colitis.