Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) which are chronic inflammatory disorders of gastrointestinal tract. The etiopathogenesis of IBD has been extensively studied but not fully revealed. Recent advances in physiology, molecular biology and pharmacology have provided some insight into the basic etiopathogenetic causes such as genetic, immunologic, etc. This review focuses on drugs involved in the cause of the disease and the investigational new drugs, current therapeutic strategies and their clinical benefits.