Yan JW, Nie M, Zhang H, Liu YM, Tang FS. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis of combination therapy for inflammatory bowel disease. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(9): 100607 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i9.100607]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Fu-Shan Tang, PhD, Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, No. 6 Xuefu West Road, Xinpu New District, Zunyi 563006, Guizhou Province, China. fstang@vip.163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2025; 31(9): 100607 Published online Mar 7, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i9.100607
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis of combination therapy for inflammatory bowel disease
Jia-Wang Yan, Mei Nie, Hang Zhang, Yan-Miao Liu, Fu-Shan Tang
Jia-Wang Yan, Mei Nie, Hang Zhang, Fu-Shan Tang, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, Guizhou Province, China
Jia-Wang Yan, Mei Nie, Hang Zhang, Yan-Miao Liu, Fu-Shan Tang, Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education and Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, Guizhou Province, China
Jia-Wang Yan, Mei Nie, Hang Zhang, Yan-Miao Liu, Fu-Shan Tang, Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Guizhou Province and School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, Guizhou Province, China
Yan-Miao Liu, The First Clinical Institute, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, Guizhou Province, China
Author contributions: Yan JW contributed to the initial drafting and revision of the manuscript; Nie M, Zhang H, and Liu YM participated in discussions and contributed to manuscript revisions; Tang FS contributed to idea generation, manuscript revision, and provided supervision; all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Fu-Shan Tang, PhD, Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, No. 6 Xuefu West Road, Xinpu New District, Zunyi 563006, Guizhou Province, China. fstang@vip.163.com
Received: August 21, 2024 Revised: January 12, 2025 Accepted: January 18, 2025 Published online: March 7, 2025 Processing time: 181 Days and 5.2 Hours
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, manifests as a chronic, recurrent, and refractory intestinal inflammatory condition significantly impacting patients’ quality of life. Despite ongoing research, its etiology and pathogenesis remain incompletely understood. Recent advancements in medical research highlight the critical role of drug combination therapies in managing IBD. This paper employs the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats framework to evaluate the four strategic elements (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) pertaining to combination therapies for IBD. Among the strengths, the paper underscores the efficacy of multi-targeted strategies, the advancement of personalized medicine, and the mitigation of drug resistance. Nonetheless, the analysis identifies significant weaknesses, including the prohibitive cost of treatment, issues with patient compliance, and the necessity for comprehensive long-term safety data. The paper also delineates opportunities to augment therapeutic success through the incorporation of biomarkers, the application of artificial intelligence, and extensive international collaborative efforts. In contrast, the paper does not shy away from addressing the threats, which include the potential for therapeutic resistance and the logistical challenges inherent in global therapy deployment. These initiatives aim to refine future therapeutic practices, fostering safer, more effective, and personalized treatment paradigms for IBD patients.
Core Tip: Ongoing advancements in medical research have solidified drug combination therapy as pivotal in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This editorial evaluates the current landscape of IBD combination therapy using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis and proposes pathways to enhance the next generation of treatment strategies.
