Researchers from Addenbrooke's Hospital and the University of Cambridge found using biologic drugs like Infliximab soon after diagnosis, rather than when symptoms worsen, was five times more effective at controlling the disease.

New economic analysis of the approach, known as "top-down" treatment, could reduce the cost of care by up to £10,000 per patient over a five-year period.

Crohn's Disease is characterised by inflammation of the digestive tract and can impact a person's quality of life with symptoms that include stomach pain, diarrhoea, weight loss and fatigue.

It is typically treated with a "step-up" approach, starting with milder drugs before advanced therapy like Infliximab.

Despite its effectiveness, it was typically reserved for patients with frequent flare-ups due to past concerns about cost and side-effects, including a higher risk of infections from immune suppression.

But, a PROFILE Trial which followed 386 newly diagnosed Crohn's patients, compared the typical approach with a new treatment of giving Infliximab immediately.

It found patients receiving early effective therapy had higher quality of life scores, made less use of steroid medication, had a lower number of serious infections and a lower number of hospitalisations.

With about 190,000 people in the UK living with the disease and 10,000 diagnosed annually, the early treatment method could save the NHS as much as £20m each year, said Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH).

Read the full paper here.

Dr Nuru Noor, BSG member and 2025 Young Gastroenterologist of the Year Award winner, is first author on the PROFILE trial paper. Dr Noor is a NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Gastroenterology at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals with a particular clinical and academic interest in improving the quality of care and outcomes for people living with inflammatory bowel diseases. He is keen to develop further clinical skills and become certified in ultrasound, so that he can deliver this as a point of care to patients locally.