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Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
Common (may affect between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people):
Uncommon (may affect between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 people):
Etrasimod is taken by mouth as a tablet
Etrasimod can be taken at home. You may need to be monitored in hospital after your first dose.
Yes.
Once a day.
Some people start to feel better after taking etrasimod for 2 weeks, but it may take longer.
Your IBD team will talk to you about how long you will take etrasimod for.
While taking etrasimod, your IBD team will check how well it is working.
You will have
In clinical trials:
32% of people taking etrasimod had their Colitis under control (in remission) after a year. A further 16% of people saw some improvement in their Colitis (but not in remission).
Take care in the sun. Etrasimod may increase your risk of skin cancer.
Heart conditions. Etrasimod can cause a slow heart rate so may not be recommended for people with heart conditions.
Eye conditions. Etrasimod can cause a condition called macular oedema. People with diabetes or pre-existing eye conditions are more likely to get macular oedema.
Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML). PML is a rare brain infection. It has not been reported in etrasimod, but has been reported in medicines similar to etrasimod.
Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES). PRES is a condition where parts of the brain are affected by swelling. It has not been reported in etrasimod, but has been reported in medicines similar to etrasimod.
You should not use etrasimod if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
There has not been any research into whether etrasimod affects male or female fertility in humans yet. In studies with animals, etrasimod was not found to have any effect on fertility.
Our effectiveness information is based on the best sources of evidence available at the time of writing. These are all calculated in different ways, and therefore they cannot be used to directly compare the effectiveness of different medicines.
Some of the different ways that the evidence is collected include:
Induction/maintenance treatment
Induction treatment is treatment that aims to reduce the inflammation in your gut and get your Crohn's or Colitis under control. Once your Crohn's or Colitis is under control, treatment aims to keep it under control. This is called maintenance treatment. Some clinical trials look at how well a medicine works as induction treatment. Some look at how well it works as maintenance treatment. Some look at how well it works for both.
Where the data comes from
The sources of evidence available for each medicine may be different. Some evidence will come from systematic reviews, which review all of the available data and results from studies on a specific topic. They use strict criteria and assess the quality of each study included. For new medicines, there may not be enough studies to conduct a systematic review yet. So, we use data from other studies such as pivotal trials. Pivotal trials are clinical trials that confirm that a new medicine is safe and works well.
People included in the studies
Sometimes studies look at how well a medicine works in people who have taken other medicines before, such as biologics, compared to people who haven’t taken those medicines. And other studies don’t. Different studies also include people with differing severity of Crohn’s or Colitis.
Length of treatment
Different clinical trials give people medicine for different lengths of time, meaning they can not be used to directly compare medicines against each other. Some clinical trials look at how well a medicine worked after a year, some look at how well a medicine worked after 58 weeks. Some may use a different length of time.
These are just some of the factors that mean we are unable to directly compare the effectiveness of different medicines.
All medicines can have side effects, but not everyone will get them. Some side effects can happen right away, others may happen later. Some side effects are mild and may go away on their own, or after you stop taking the medicine. Others may be more serious and could need treatment. Some side effects might mean that a medicine is not right for you.
This Medicine Tool does not include a full list of side effects. For more information about side effects of a medicine, search for the medicine on the Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC) website to find the patient information leaflet. This link takes you to an external website.
We know it can be difficult to live with, or support someone living with these conditions. But you’re not alone. We provide up-to-date, evidence-based information and can support you to live well with Crohn’s or Colitis.
Our helpline team can help by:
Providing information about Crohn’s and Colitis.
Listening and talking through your situation.
Helping you to find support from others in the Crohn’s and Colitis community.
Providing details of other specialist organisations.
Please be aware we’re not medically or legally trained. We cannot provide detailed financial or benefits advice or specialist emotional support.
Please contact us via telephone, email or LiveChat - 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (except English bank holidays).
If you need specific medical advice about your condition, your GP or IBD team will be best placed to help.
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