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Low-Dose Naltrexone in Crohn's Disease: A Prematurely Terminated Randomized Trial Showing Reduced Fatigue Without Clinical or Endoscopic Benefit.
Digestive diseases and sciences

Cure8 research brief

Low-Dose Naltrexone in Crohn's Disease: A Prematurely Terminated Randomized Trial Showing Reduced Fatigue Without Clinical or Endoscopic Benefit.

1 min read
Medications Fatigue Remission Phase 2 clinical trial Adult patients Clinicians Researchers Patients On Biologics

Why This Matters

A controlled trial found low-dose naltrexone did not induce endoscopic or clinical remission in Crohn's disease, but it showed a possible benefit for reducing fatigue. Patients seeking symptom relief without immunosuppression may find the fatigue signal of interest, though it is preliminary.

Who Should Pay Attention

Adults with Crohn's disease, clinicians treating IBD, and researchers studying symptom-focused therapies or fatigue in IBD

Study Snapshot

Story typeResearch paper
Evidence typeResearch paper
Source depthJournal abstract

What To Know

This study does not support using low-dose naltrexone to induce clinical or endoscopic remission in Crohn's disease. The finding of reduced fatigue is preliminary, from a small, prematurely terminated trial, and should be viewed as hypothesis-generating.

Larger, specifically designed studies would be needed to confirm any benefit for fatigue before changing clinical practice.

Keep In Mind

The trial was small and stopped early for futility; fatigue benefit came from a patient-reported questionnaire and requires confirmation in larger studies. The source is a peer-reviewed journal abstract.

Source Details

Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.

Read Original Source
Research paper Evidence type derived from source or registry metadata.
PublicationDigestive diseases and sciences
AuthorsN van de Pol, E Paulides, F H J Wolfhagen +6 more
InstitutionDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, PO Box 2040, 3015GD, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. n.vandepol@erasmusmc.nl.
Study typeJournal article
Indexed viaPubMed
Source typeResearch paper
PublishedSep 6, 2026, 12:00 AM
Content availableJournal abstract

Conflict statement: Declarations. Conflict of interest: ACV has served on the advisory boards for Takeda, Janssen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Abbvie, Pfizer, and Galapagos and has received unrestricted research grants from Takeda, Janssen, Abbvie, Lilly, and Pfizer, outside the submitted work; GF has received speaker fees from Abbvie and Jansen; RW received speaker fees from Ferring, Pfizer and Janssen. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest for the submitted work.

This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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