Golimumab was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis in 2013 and was the third antitumour-necrosis-factor therapy after adalimumab and infliximab licensed for this indication. However, given it is the most recent of these drugs to become available, evidence regarding its optimal use and its positioning in relation to other biological therapies is only now emerging. In this article, we review the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of golimumab both in the setting of clinical trials and in 'real world' observational studies. We also explore the limited data available regarding the possible role of therapeutic-drug monitoring and dose flexibility.