Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) said its drug Simponi improved symptoms in a majority of patients with an inflammatory-bowel disease in a new clinical trial. The results, released at a medical conference Monday, could support expansion of the approved uses of Simponi to include treating the bowel condition, known as ulcerative colitis, which J&J estimates affects about 700,000 people in the U.S. Simponi, which was introduced in 2009, is currently approved to treat signs and symptoms of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, active psoriatic arthritis and active ankylosing spondylitis.
