Maintenance Risankizumab Sustains Induction Response in Patients with Crohn's Disease in a Randomized Phase 3 Trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Durable clinical remission, endoscopic healing, and biomarker normalization are key treatment goals for Crohn's disease. The selective anti-interleukin-23 p19 inhibitor risankizumab has demonstrated efficacy and safety in moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. This post-hoc analysis of data from the pivotal risankizumab maintenance study assessed whether risankizumab maintenance therapy sustained the clinical and endoscopic outcomes achieved with risankizumab induction therapy. METHODS: We evaluated 462 patients who achieved a clinical response to risankizumab intravenous induction treatment and were re-randomized to receive subcutaneous risankizumab 360 mg, subcutaneous risankizumab 180 mg, or placebo [withdrawal] every 8 weeks for 52 weeks in the randomized, controlled FORTIFY maintenance study. Maintenance of clinical, endoscopic, and biomarker endpoints at week 52 among patients who achieved these endpoints after 12 weeks of induction treatment was evaluated. RESULTS: A significantly higher proportion of patients receiving maintenance treatment with risankizumab 360 or 180 mg compared with placebo [withdrawal] maintained Crohn's Disease Activity Index remission [68.6%, 70.8%, vs 56.3%; p < 0.05], stool frequency/abdominal pain remission [69.2%, 64.1%, vs 50.5%; p < 0.01], endoscopic response [70.2%, 68.2%, vs 38.4%; p < 0.001], endoscopic remission [74.4%, 45.5%, vs 23.9%; p < 0.05], and Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease of 0-2 [65.5%, 36.7%, vs 21.9%]. Most patients [56.8-83.3%] who achieved normalized faecal calprotectin or C-reactive protein during induction sustained them with maintenance risankizumab. CONCLUSIONS: Subcutaneous risankizumab maintenance therapy results in durable improvement in clinical and endoscopic outcomes over 1 year in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03105102.

Novel Microbial-Based Immunotherapy Approach for Crohn's Disease.

Background: Current Crohn's disease (CD) therapies focus on suppressing immune function and come with consequent risk, such as infection and cancer. Notwithstanding, most CD patients still experience disease progression. There is a need for new CD treatment strategies that offer better health outcomes for patients. Aims: To assess safety, efficacy, and tolerability of a novel microbial-derived immunotherapy, QBECO, that aims to restore rather than suppress immune function in CD. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 68 patients with moderate-to-severe CD. Primary endpoints: safety and Week 8 clinical improvement. Secondary endpoints: Week 8 clinical response and remission. Week 8 responders continued blinded treatment through Week 16; non-responders received open-label QBECO from Weeks 9-16. Exploratory analyses included immune biomarker and genotype assessments. Results: QBECO was well-tolerated. Mean reduction in Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) score was -68 for QBECO vs. -31 for placebo at Week 8. Improvement with QBECO continued through Week 16 (-130 CDAI reduction). Week 8 QBECO clinical response, improvement and remission rates were 41.2%, 32.4%, 29.4% vs. 26.5%, 23.5%, 23.5% for placebo. TNFα inhibitor-naïve subjects achieved higher response rates at Week 8 with QBECO (64%) vs. placebo (26%). Specific immune biomarkers were identified that linked to QBECO response. Conclusion: This proof-of-concept study supports further investigation for the use of QBECO as a novel immunotherapy approach for CD. Biomarker analyses suggests it may be feasible to personalize CD treatment with QBECO. Larger trials are now needed to confirm clinical improvement and the unique biological findings. Clinical Trial Number: NCT01809275 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01809275).

Sustained Clinical Remission With Vedolizumab in Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Ulcerative Colitis.

BACKGROUND: Sustaining clinical remission is an important treatment goal in moderate-to-severe UC. This post hoc exploratory analysis assessed the long-term efficacy of vedolizumab in the subset of patients with UC in the GEMINI 1 study who were in clinical remission by week 14 after 3 induction doses, administered at weeks 0, 2, and 6. METHODS: Sustained clinical remission (primary endpoint) was evaluated using 2 definitions: (1) a partial Mayo Score (pMS) of ≤2 with no subscore >1 and (2) a rectal bleeding subscore (RBS) of 0 throughout weeks 14, 26, 38, and 52. RESULTS: The proportion of patients in clinical remission at week 14 was significantly higher in patients receiving vedolizumab (n = 620) compared with placebo (n = 149) (pMS: 32.7% vs 20.1% [percentage-point difference (∆) 12.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2-20.0]; RBS: 47.3% vs 28.9% [∆18.4%; 95% CI, 10.1-26.7]). Of patients in clinical remission at week 14, a significantly higher proportion of vedolizumab-treated patients achieved sustained clinical remission compared with placebo (pMS: 66.5% vs 26.7%; ∆39.8%; 95% CI, 22.7-56.9; RBS: 56.7% vs 20.9%; ∆35.7%; 95% CI, 22.3-49.1). Findings were consistent in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist-naive and antagonist-failure patients. CONCLUSION: Compared with placebo, 35%-40% more patients receiving a full induction course of vedolizumab had sustained clinical remission after 52 weeks of therapy. This result was observed irrespective of TNF antagonist treatment history. Clinical remission at week 14 may therefore be a predictor for sustained clinical remission with vedolizumab.

Budesonide Multimatrix Is Efficacious for Mesalamine-refractory, Mild to Moderate Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomised, Placebo-controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Safety and efficacy of budesonide multimatrix, an oral extended-release second-generation corticosteroid designed for targeted delivery throughout the colon, were examined for induction of remission in patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis refractory to baseline mesalamine therapy. METHODS: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial evaluated efficacy and safety of budesonide multimatrix for induction of remission [ulcerative colitis disease activity index score ≥ 4 and ≤ 10] in 510 adults randomised to once-daily oral budesonide multimatrix 9 mg or placebo for 8 weeks. Patients continued baseline treatment with oral mesalamine ≥ 2.4 g/day. RESULTS: Combined clinical and endoscopic remission at Week 8 was achieved by 13.0% and 7.5% of patients receiving budesonide multimatrix [n = 230] or placebo [n = 228], respectively, in the modified intention-to-treat population [p = 0.049]. Clinical remission [ulcerative colitis disease activity index rectal bleeding and stool frequency subscale scores of 0] was similar in both groups [p = 0.70]. More patients receiving budesonide multimatrix vs placebo achieved endoscopic remission [ulcerative colitis disease activity index mucosal appearance subscale score of 0; 20.0% vs 12.3%; p = 0.02] and histological healing [27.0% vs 17.5%; p = 0.02]. Adverse event rates were similar [budesonide multimatrix, 31.8%; placebo, 27.1%]. Mean morning cortisol concentrations decreased at Weeks 2, 4, and 8 with budesonide multimatrix but remained within the normal range. CONCLUSION: Budesonide multimatrix was safe and efficacious for inducing clinical and endoscopic remission for mild to moderate ulcerative colitis refractory to oral mesalamine therapy.

Efficacy and Safety of Vedolizumab in Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease Patients Stratified by Age.

INTRODUCTION: The efficacy and safety of vedolizumab, a gut-selective α4ß7 integrin antibody, were demonstrated in the GEMINI 1 and GEMINI 2 clinical trials of adults aged 18-80 years. We investigated the efficacy and safety of vedolizumab in patients stratified by age from the GEMINI trials. METHODS: Safety and efficacy, including clinical response, clinical remission, and corticosteroid-free remission, at week 6 and/or 52 were determined post hoc in patients aged <35, 35 to <55, and ≥55 years. RESULTS: At baseline, 353, 412, and 130 ulcerative colitis (UC) and 582, 443, and 90 Crohn's disease (CD) patients were aged <35, 35 to <55, and ≥55. Of these patients, 56 were aged ≥65 years (UC: 33, CD: 23). Trends favoring vedolizumab over placebo were observed for most efficacy endpoints irrespective of patient age; some variability between subgroups was observed. Safety profiles of vedolizumab and placebo were similar in all age groups. Vedolizumab-treated patients aged ≥55 had the lowest incidence of serious infections (0.9 per 100 person-years) and adverse events leading to hospitalization (14.8 per 100 person-years). There were no age-related differences in the incidence of adverse hematological events, malignancy, or death. CONCLUSIONS: The safety and efficacy of vedolizumab in patients with UC or CD were similar for all age groups. The number of patients in the oldest age group in these analyses was small; thus further studies of vedolizumab in larger cohorts of elderly patients are warranted. FUNDING: Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (d/b/a Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Co.).

Vedolizumab as induction and maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Gut-selective blockade of lymphocyte trafficking by vedolizumab may constitute effective treatment for ulcerative colitis. METHODS: We conducted two integrated randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of vedolizumab in patients with active disease. In the trial of induction therapy, 374 patients (cohort 1) received vedolizumab (at a dose of 300 mg) or placebo intravenously at weeks 0 and 2, and 521 patients (cohort 2) received open-label vedolizumab at weeks 0 and 2, with disease evaluation at week 6. In the trial of maintenance therapy, patients in either cohort who had a response to vedolizumab at week 6 were randomly assigned to continue receiving vedolizumab every 8 or 4 weeks or to switch to placebo for up to 52 weeks. A response was defined as a reduction in the Mayo Clinic score (range, 0 to 12, with higher scores indicating more active disease) of at least 3 points and a decrease of at least 30% from baseline, with an accompanying decrease in the rectal bleeding subscore of at least 1 point or an absolute rectal bleeding subscore of 0 or 1. RESULTS: Response rates at week 6 were 47.1% and 25.5% among patients in the vedolizumab group and placebo group, respectively (difference with adjustment for stratification factors, 21.7 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.6 to 31.7; P<0.001). At week 52, 41.8% of patients who continued to receive vedolizumab every 8 weeks and 44.8% of patients who continued to receive vedolizumab every 4 weeks were in clinical remission (Mayo Clinic score ≤2 and no subscore >1), as compared with 15.9% of patients who switched to placebo (adjusted difference, 26.1 percentage points for vedolizumab every 8 weeks vs. placebo [95% CI, 14.9 to 37.2; P<0.001] and 29.1 percentage points for vedolizumab every 4 weeks vs. placebo [95% CI, 17.9 to 40.4; P<0.001]). The frequency of adverse events was similar in the vedolizumab and placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS: Vedolizumab was more effective than placebo as induction and maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis. (Funded by Millennium Pharmaceuticals; GEMINI 1 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00783718.).