Incidence of Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which had been regarded as a condition typically associated with Westerners, is now rising amongst Asian populations as well, including Koreans.

According to the IBD fact sheet published by the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases, the number of patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease has more than doubled in 10 years, to 37,000 and 18,000, respectively, by 2019. At the same time, treatments that can be used as a "weapon" by doctors are being introduced competitively to the market are being launched competitively.

In an interview with Dailypharm, Professor Hong Sub Lee (Department of Gastroenterology) of