1. Agree completely
2. Agree with minor reservations
3. Agree with major reservations
4. Reject with reservations
5. Reject completely

Statement Rationale and Definition

The first descriptions of the benefits of thiopurines for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment appeared in the 1960s,^1,2 and the majority of trials that assessed the efficacy of these drugs for induction and maintenance of remission, postoperative recurrence prevention, and treatment of specific phenotypes were performed in the past few decades.³ The earlier trials, which included small populations and used purely clinical outcomes as measures of efficacy, are currently being re-examined.^{1, 2} Recent trials to determine the efficacy of early treatment with thiopurines in adult Crohn’s disease (CD) have produced negative results.^{4, 5} Therefore the specific role of thiopurines in IBD treatment needs to be reassessed in light of all existing evidence and the availability of other potent therapeutic options.