Significant advances in the management of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) 
have been made since the introduction of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha 
agents, especially for those who fail or do not tolerate conventional therapies. 
Two drugs, infliximab first, then adalimumab afterward, showed effectiveness in 
inducing and maintaining long-term remission both in pivotal trials as well as 
in clinical practice. However, approximately 25% of patients with UC, who fail 
or do not tolerate all available therapies, require a colectomy for refractory 
disease. The therapeutic scenario of UC has been recently upgraded by the 
introduction of golimumab, the latest anti TNF-alpha agent to be approved. 
Golimumab is a totally humanized monoclonal antibody, administered by a 
subcutaneous injection every 4 weeks. Treatment with golimumab has shown to be 
effective to induce sustained clinical benefit in tough-to-treat patients with 
UC, including steroid and/or immunosuppressive refractory and steroid-dependent 
patients. In this review, we summarize all available efficacy and safety data of 
golimumab in UC, analyzing the potential therapeutic position for the treatment 
of refractory patients with UC.