When the only biologics were antitumor necrosis factor agents, it was not hard to treat our sick Crohn's patients. Now with multiple mechanisms of action, the therapeutic landscape is more broad but can be confusing. Trying to compare agents is difficult because head-to-head trials are lacking. A comparative effectiveness methodology allows for indirect comparisons of agents based on the outcome of interest. When deciding what agent is "best" for any specific patient, multiple factors have to be taken into consideration including the primary outcome of interest. In this study, the outcome of mucosal healing is considered.

中文翻译：

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医生，最好的克罗恩病疗法是什么？

当唯一的生物制剂是抗肿瘤坏死因子药物时，治疗我们患病的克罗恩病患者并不困难。现在有了多种作用机制，治疗范围更加广泛，但也可能令人困惑。尝试比较代理很困难，因为缺乏头对头试验。比较有效性方法允许根据感兴趣的结果对代理进行间接比较。在决定哪种药物对任何特定患者“最好”时，必须考虑多种因素，包括感兴趣的主要结果。在这项研究中，考虑了粘膜愈合的结果。