Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/572638
30 GI & ENDOSCOPY SECTION: New this Year in GI 11 GI/Endoscopy Center Openings, Plans & Acquisitions in 2015 By Carrie Pallardy Here are 11 gastroenterology and endoscopy-driven centers that have been opened, announced or acquired in 2015. Economist and philanthropist Sanford J. Grossman, PhD, pledged to give Mount Sinai Health System in New York $3 million for the establishment of an inflammatory bowel disease center. e Dr. Sanford J. Grossman Center for Integrative Studies in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will focus on providing person- alized treatment for Crohn's disease. Physicians Endoscopy acquired the Endoscopy Center of West Central Ohio in Lima. Physicians Endoscopy acquired a minority interest in Garden State En- doscopy Center in Kenilworth, N.J. Physicians Endoscopy and four gastroenterologist partners opened the Greater Gaston Endoscopy Center in Gastonia, N.C. GRHealth in Augusta, Ga., opened the GRHealth Digestive Health Center. Flemington, N.J.-based Hunterdon Healthcare opened the Hunterdon Reflux and Motility Center. Carrell Clinic, based in Dallas, and Digestive Health Associates of Tex- as, based in Fort Worth, collaborated to open the HyGleaCare Center in Austin. e new center offers bowel preparation on the same day as scheduled colonoscopy. Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville, N.Y., opened the Johnstown (N.Y.) Endoscopy and Surgery Center. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Ill., opened a new GI clinic. Northfield (Minn.) Hospital & Clinics began construction on a 9,000-square-foot, $6.3 million endoscopy center late last year. e en- doscopy center, built in response to expected procedure demand, is slated for completion this summer. Physicians Endoscopy acquired a stake in the Philadelphia Gastroenter- ology Consultants Endoscopy Center of Excellence. n Dr. Dana Lukin: The Most Exciting Developments in IBD Treatment By Carrie Pallardy G astroenterologists provide care to many different kinds of patients, including those with chronic conditions. Inflam- matory bowel disease is a key area of focus in GI, and new developments continue to roll out in the field. Dana Lukin, MD, PhD, a gastroenterologist with Montefiore Health System and assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medi- cine in New York, shares his thoughts on the most exciting developments in IBD and what the future of the field may hold. Question: What do you think are the most exciting developments in IBD treat- ment? Dr. Dana Lukin: e number of medical options for patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis has been increasing in recent years with the approval of several new medications, including a delayed release budesonide formulation for use in mild to moderate UC and vedolizumab for the use in CD and UC. ere are several very exciting developments on the horizon. The monoclonal antibody ustekinumab (Ste- lara), which is directed against the common p40 subunit of interleukins 12 and 23 has demonstrated significantly better efficacy than placebo at 22 weeks in phase IIb clinical trials (N=526) in Crohn's disease (CERTIFI trial, Sandborn et al., NEJM 2012) among pa- tients previously exposed to anti-TNF therapy. With the expected approval of this medication, which is currently approved for the treatment of psoriasis, patients will now have the option of biologic agents affecting three distinct cellu- lar pathways (anti-TNF, anti-integrin and anti- IL-12/23). Another exciting development is the advance- ment of clinical trials involving oral biologic agents for the treatment of IBD. ese include orally active anti-TNF agents, JAK inhibitors and antisense nucleotides. Tofacitinib, an oral selective Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor affecting JAK1 and JAK3 was shown to be significantly more effective than placebo in inducing a clini- cal response and clinical remission at eight weeks in a phase II clinical trial in 192 patients with moderate to severe UC (Sandborn et al., NEJM 2012). Another agent showing significant promise is the oral antisense oligonucleotide mongersen, which is directed against ileal and colonic SMAD7, a key inflammatory mediator in CD involved in activation of TGFβ. A phase II study in 166 patients with active CD demon- strated a remarkable efficacy of mongersen in in- ducing a clinical response and clinical remission as compared to placebo at two weeks (Montele- one et al., NEJM 2015). ese agents will need to be tested in phase III studies. Should they come to market, they will revolutionize the treatment of moderate to severe IBD, giving patients an op- tion for oral medication rather than intravenous infusion or subcutaneous injection. n Dr. Dana Lukin