I am reposting a link that reports the results of a study done on children with Crohn's. There were 12 subjects and all were treatment resistant and candidates for surgery as a last resort. They had a range of IBD and I believe that 7 of them had strictures. Of the 12, 8 showed improvement with a few remissions and one of those who did not improve had their supply of the study drug accidentally interrupted and they required surgery. The biopsy study showed structural improvements at a rate four times better than steroid treatment. They were followed for 2 1/2 years.
The treatment has been determined to inhibit the proliferation of the auto-immune T cells that cause the auto-immune reaction. This has implications for other related auto-immune diseases caused by Crohn's. This includes arthritis, lupus, erythra(?) nodosum, ankylosing spondylitis, and the whole pantheon of connected illnesses. If the treatment reduces the production of auto-immune T cells, it will at least reduce the severity of the related illness.
The study drug is non-toxic and has no reported side effects. The only cautions are for people with shellfish allergies and diabetics. It has been studied as a treatment for diabetes, so presumably it only requires blood sugar level monitoring. It is not a cure, but the alternatives are few and most of those have dangerous side effects.
Link:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/120708799/HTMLSTART