Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE): Determining Therapeutic Goals for Treat-to-Target

OBJECTIVES

The Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE) program was initiated by the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IOIBD). It examined potential treatment targets for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to be used for a "treat-to-target" clinical management strategy using an evidence-based expert consensus process.

METHODS

A Steering Committee of 28 IBD specialists developed recommendations based on a systematic literature review and expert opinion. Consensus was gained if ≥75% of participants scored the recommendation as 7-10 on a 10-point rating scale (where 10=agree completely).

RESULTS

The group agreed upon 12 recommendations for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). The agreed target for UC was clinical/patient-reported outcome (PRO) remission (defined as resolution of rectal bleeding and diarrhea/altered bowel habit) and endoscopic remission (defined as a Mayo endoscopic subscore of 0-1). Histological remission was considered as an adjunctive goal. Clinical/PRO remission was also agreed upon as a target for CD and defined as resolution of abdominal pain and diarrhea/altered bowel habit; and endoscopic remission, defined as resolution of ulceration at ileocolonoscopy, or resolution of findings of inflammation on cross-sectional imaging in patients who cannot be adequately assessed with ileocolonoscopy. Biomarker remission (normal C-reactive protein (CRP) and calprotectin) was considered as an adjunctive target.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence- and consensus-based recommendations for selecting the goals for treat-to-target strategies in patients with IBD are made available. Prospective studies are needed to determine how these targets will change disease course and patients' quality of life.

The burden of inflammatory bowel disease in Europe

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic disabling gastrointestinal disorders impacting every aspect of the affected individual's life and account for substantial costs to the health care system and society. New epidemiological data suggest that the incidence and prevalence of the diseases are increasing and medical therapy and disease management have changed significantly in the last decade. An estimated 2.5-3 million people in Europe are affected by IBD, with a direct healthcare cost of 4.6-5.6 bn Euros/year. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the burden of IBD in Europe by discussing the latest epidemiological data, the disease course and risk for surgery and hospitalization, mortality and cancer risks, as well as the economic aspects, patients' disability and work impairment.

3rd European Evidence-based Consensus on the Diagnosis and Management of Crohn's Disease 2016: Part 2: Surgical Management and Special Situations

This paper is the second in a series of two publications relating to the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation [ECCO] evidence-based consensus on the diagnosis and management of Crohn's disease [CD] and concerns the surgical management of CD as well as special situations including management of perianal CD and extraintestinal manifestations. Diagnostic approaches and medical management of CD of this ECCO Consensus are covered in the first paper [Gomollon et al JCC 2016].

Extraintestinal Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Extraintestinal manifestations (EIM) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are frequent and may occur before or after IBD diagnosis. EIM may impact the quality of life for patients with IBD significantly requiring specific treatment depending on the affected organ(s). They most frequently affect joints, skin, or eyes, but can also less frequently involve other organs such as liver, lungs, or pancreas. Certain EIM, such as peripheral arthritis, oral aphthous ulcers, episcleritis, or erythema nodosum, are frequently associated with active intestinal inflammation and usually improve by treatment of the intestinal activity. Other EIM, such as uveitis or ankylosing spondylitis, usually occur independent of intestinal inflammatory activity. For other not so rare EIM, such as pyoderma gangrenosum and primary sclerosing cholangitis, the association with the activity of the underlying IBD is unclear. Successful therapy of EIM is essential for improving quality of life of patients with IBD. Besides other options, tumor necrosis factor antibody therapy is an important therapy for EIM in patients with IBD.

Geographical variability and environmental risk factors in inflammatory bowel disease

The changing epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) across time and geography suggests that environmental factors play a major role in modifying disease expression. Disease emergence in developing nations suggests that epidemiological evolution is related to westernisation of lifestyle and industrialisation. The strongest environmental associations identified are cigarette smoking and appendectomy, although neither alone explains the variation in incidence of IBD worldwide. Urbanisation of societies, associated with changes in diet, antibiotic use, hygiene status, microbial exposures and pollution have been implicated as potential environmental risk factors for IBD. Changes in socioeconomic status might occur differently in different geographical areas and populations and, consequently, it is important to consider the heterogeneity of risk factors applicable to the individual patient. Environmental risk factors of individual, familial, community-based, country-based and regionally based origin may all contribute to the pathogenesis of IBD. The geographical variation of IBD provides clues for researchers to investigate possible environmental aetiological factors. The present review aims to provide an update of the literature exploring geographical variability in IBD and to explore the environmental risk factors that may account for this variability.

The second European evidenced-based consensus on reproduction and pregnancy in inflammatory bowel disease

Trying to conceive and being pregnant is an emotional period for those involved. In the majority of patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, maintenance therapy is required during pregnancy to control the disease, and disease control might necessitate introduction of new drugs during a vulnerable period. In this updated consensus on the reproduction and pregnancy in inflammatory bowel disease reproductive issues including fertility, the safety of drugs during pregnancy and lactation are discussed.

Risk for colorectal cancer in ulcerative colitis: changes, causes and management strategies

The risk of colorectal cancer for any patient with ulcerative colitis is known to be elevated, and is estimated to be 2% after 10 years, 8% after 20 years and 18% after 30 years of disease. Risk factors for cancer include extent and duration of ulcerative colitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, a family history of sporadic colorectal cancer, severity of histologic bowel inflammation, and in some studies, young age at onset of colitis. In this review, the authors discuss recent epidemiological trends and causes for the observed changes. Population-based studies published within the past 5 years suggest that this risk has decreased over time, despite the low frequency of colectomies. The crude annual incidence rate of colorectal cancer in ulcerative colitis ranges from approximately 0.06% to 0.16% with a relative risk of 1.0-2.75. The exact mechanism for this change is unknown; it may partly be explained by the more widespread use of maintenance therapy and surveillance colonoscopy.

Recent trends in the epidemiology of inflammatory bowel diseases: up or down?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is traditionally considered to be common in the Western world, and its incidence has sharply increased since the early 1950s. In contrast, until the last decade, low prevalence and incidence rates have been reported from other parts of the world including Eastern Europe, South America, Asia and the Pacific region. Recent trends indicate a change in the epidemiology of IBD with previously low incidence areas now reporting a progressive rise in the incidence, while in West European and North American countries the figures have stabilized or slightly increased, with decreasing incidence rates for ulcerative colitis. Some of these changes may represent differences in diagnostic practices and increasing awareness of the disease. The quality of studies is also variable. Additional epidemiologic studies are needed to better define the burden of illness, explore the mechanism of association with environmental factors, and identify new risk factors.

East-West gradient in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Europe: the ECCO-EpiCom inception cohort

OBJECTIVE

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in Eastern Europe. The reasons for these changes remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether an East-West gradient in the incidence of IBD in Europe exists.

DESIGN

A prospective, uniformly diagnosed, population based inception cohort of IBD patients in 31 centres from 14 Western and eight Eastern European countries covering a total background population of approximately 10.1 million people was created. One-third of the centres had previous experience with inception cohorts. Patients were entered into a low cost, web based epidemiological database, making participation possible regardless of socioeconomic status and prior experience.

RESULTS

1515 patients aged 15 years or older were included, of whom 535 (35%) were diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD), 813 (54%) with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 167 (11%) with IBD unclassified (IBDU). The overall incidence rate ratios in all Western European centres were 1.9 (95% CI 1.5 to 2.4) for CD and 2.1 (95% CI 1.8 to 2.6) for UC compared with Eastern European centres. The median crude annual incidence rates per 100,000 in 2010 for CD were 6.5 (range 0-10.7) in Western European centres and 3.1 (range 0.4-11.5) in Eastern European centres, for UC 10.8 (range 2.9-31.5) and 4.1 (range 2.4-10.3), respectively, and for IBDU 1.9 (range 0-39.4) and 0 (range 0-1.2), respectively. In Western Europe, 92% of CD, 78% of UC and 74% of IBDU patients had a colonoscopy performed as the diagnostic procedure compared with 90%, 100% and 96%, respectively, in Eastern Europe. 8% of CD and 1% of UC patients in both regions underwent surgery within the first 3 months of the onset of disease. 7% of CD patients and 3% of UC patients from Western Europe received biological treatment as rescue therapy. Of all European CD patients, 20% received only 5-aminosalicylates as induction therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

An East-West gradient in IBD incidence exists in Europe. Among this inception cohort--including indolent and aggressive cases--international guidelines for diagnosis and initial treatment are not being followed uniformly by physicians.

Infliximab Reduces Endoscopic, but Not Clinical, Recurrence of Crohn's Disease After Ileocolonic Resection

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Most patients with Crohn's disease (CD) eventually require an intestinal resection. However, CD frequently recurs after resection. We performed a randomized trial to compare the ability of infliximab vs placebo to prevent CD recurrence.

METHODS

We evaluated the efficacy of infliximab in preventing postoperative recurrence of CD in 297 patients at 104 sites worldwide from November 2010 through May 2012. All study patients had undergone ileocolonic resection within 45 days before randomization. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to groups given infliximab (5 mg/kg) or placebo every 8 weeks for 200 weeks. The primary end point was clinical recurrence, defined as a composite outcome consisting of a CD Activity Index score >200 and a ≥70-point increase from baseline, and endoscopic recurrence (Rutgeerts score ≥i2, determined by a central reader) or development of a new or re-draining fistula or abscess, before or at week 76. Endoscopic recurrence was a major secondary end point.

RESULTS

A smaller proportion of patients in the infliximab group had a clinical recurrence before or at week 76 compared with the placebo group, but this difference was not statistically significant (12.9% vs 20.0%; absolute risk reduction [ARR] with infliximab, 7.1%; 95% confidence interval: -1.3% to 15.5%; P = .097). A significantly smaller proportion of patients in the infliximab group had endoscopic recurrence compared with the placebo group (30.6% vs 60.0%; ARR with infliximab, 29.4%; 95% confidence interval: 18.6% to 40.2%; P < .001). Additionally, a significantly smaller proportion of patients in the infliximab group had endoscopic recurrence based only on Rutgeerts scores ≥i2 (22.4% vs 51.3%; ARR with infliximab, 28.9%; 95% confidence interval: 18.4% to 39.4%; P < .001). Patients previously treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor agents or those with more than 1 resection were at greater risk for clinical recurrence. The safety profile of infliximab was similar to that from previous reports.

CONCLUSIONS

Infliximab is not superior to placebo in preventing clinical recurrence after CD-related resection. However, infliximab does reduce endoscopic recurrence. ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT01190839.

The Burden of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Europe in 2020

New data suggest that incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] are still increasing worldwide, and approximately 0.2% of the European population suffer from IBD at the present time. Medical therapy and disease management have evolved significantly in recent decades, with an emphasis on tight objective monitoring of disease progression and a treat-to-target approach in Europe and also worldwide, aiming to prevent early bowel damage and disability. Surgery rate declined over time in Europe, with 10-30% of CD and 5-10% of UC patients requiring a surgery within 5 years. The health economic burden associated with IBD is high in Europe. Direct health care costs [approximately €3500 in CD and €2000 in UC per patient per year] have shifted from hospitalisation and surgery towards drug-related expenditures with the increasing use of biologic therapy and other novel agents, and substantial indirect costs arise from work productivity loss [approximately €1900 per patient yearly]. The aim of this paper is to provide an updated review of the burden of IBD in Europe by discussing current data on epidemiology, disease course, risk for surgery, hospitalisation, and mortality and cancer risks, as well as the economic aspects, patient disability, and work impairment, by discussing the latest population-based studies from the region.

Hospitalisations and surgery in Crohn's disease

Hospitalisation and surgery are considered to be markers of more severe disease in Crohn's disease. These are costly events and limiting these costs has emerged as one rationale for the cost of expensive biologic therapies. The authors sought to review the most recent international literature to estimate current hospitalisation and surgery rates for Crohn's disease and place them in the historical context of where they have been, whether they have changed over time, and to compare these rates across different jurisdictions. It is in this context that the authors could set the stage for interpreting some of the early data and studies that will be forthcoming on rates of hospitalisation and surgery in an era of more aggressive biologic therapy. The most recent data from Canada, the United Kingdom and Hungary all suggest that surgical rates were falling prior to the advent of biologic therapy, and continue to fall during this treatment era. The impact of biologic therapy on surgical rates will have to be analysed in the context of evolving reductions in developed regions before biologic therapy was even introduced. Whether more aggressive medical therapy will decrease the requirement for surgery over long periods of time remains to be proven.

Association of extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease in a province of western Hungary with disease phenotype: results of a 25-year follow-up study

AIM

IBD is a systemic disease associated with a large number of extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs). Our aim was to determine the prevalence of EIMs in a large IBD cohort in Veszprem Province in a 25-year follow-up study.

METHODS

Eight hundred and seventy-three IBD patients were enrolled (ulcerative colitis/UC/: 619, m/f: 317/302, mean age at presentation: 38.3 years, average disease duration: 11.2 years; Crohn's disease/CD/: 254, m/f: 125/129, mean age at presentation: 32.5 years, average disease duration: 9.2 years). Intestinal, extraintestinal signs and laboratory tests were monitored regularly. Any alteration suggesting an EIMs was investigated by a specialist.

RESULTS

A total of 21.3% of patients with IBD had EIM (UC: 15.0%, CD: 36.6%). Age at presentation did not affect the likelihood of EIM. Prevalence of EIMs was higher in women and in CD, ocular complications and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) were more frequent in UC. In UC there was an increased tendency of EIM in patients with a more extensive disease. Joint complications were more frequent in CD (22.4% vs UC 10.2%, P<0.01). In UC positive family history increased the risk of joint complications (OR:3.63). In CD the frequency of type-1 peripheral arthritis was increased in patients with penetrating disease (P=0.028). PSC was present in 1.6% in UC and 0.8% in CD. Dermatological complications were present in 3.8% in UC and 10.2% in CD, the rate of ocular complications was around 3% in both diseases. Rare complications were glomerulonephritis, autoimmune hemolytic anaemia and celiac disease.

CONCLUSION

Prevalence of EIM in Hungarian IBD patients is in concordance with data from Western countries. The high number of EIM supports a role for complex follow-up in these patients.

Natural disease course of Crohn's disease during the first 5 years after diagnosis in a European population-based inception cohort: an Epi-IBD study

OBJECTIVE

The Epi-IBD cohort is a prospective population-based inception cohort of unselected patients with inflammatory bowel disease from 29 European centres covering a background population of almost 10 million people. The aim of this study was to assess the 5-year outcome and disease course of patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

DESIGN

Patients were followed up prospectively from the time of diagnosis, including collection of their clinical data, demographics, disease activity, medical therapy, surgery, cancers and deaths. Associations between outcomes and multiple covariates were analysed by Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

In total, 488 patients were included in the study. During follow-up, 107 (22%) patients received surgery, while 176 (36%) patients were hospitalised because of CD. A total of 49 (14%) patients diagnosed with non-stricturing, non-penetrating disease progressed to either stricturing and/or penetrating disease. These rates did not differ between patients from Western and Eastern Europe. However, significant geographic differences were noted regarding treatment: more patients in Western Europe received biological therapy (33%) and immunomodulators (66%) than did those in Eastern Europe (14% and 54%, respectively, P<0.01), while more Eastern European patients received 5-aminosalicylates (90% vs 56%, P<0.05). Treatment with immunomodulators reduced the risk of surgery (HR: 0.4, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.6) and hospitalisation (HR: 0.3, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.5).

CONCLUSION

Despite patients being treated early and frequently with immunomodulators and biological therapy in Western Europe, 5-year outcomes including surgery and phenotype progression in this cohort were comparable across Western and Eastern Europe. Differences in treatment strategies between Western and Eastern European centres did not affect the disease course. Treatment with immunomodulators reduced the risk of surgery and hospitalisation.

Has there been a change in the natural history of Crohn's disease? Surgical rates and medical management in a population-based inception cohort from Western Hungary between 1977-2009

OBJECTIVES

Medical therapy for Crohn's disease (CD) has changed significantly over the past 20 years with increasing use of immunosuppressives. In contrast, surgery rates are still high and there is little evidence that disease outcomes for CD have changed over the past decades. The objective of this study was to analyze the evolution of the surgical rates and medical therapy in the population-based Veszprem province database.

METHODS

Data of 506 incident CD patients were analyzed (age at diagnosis: 31.5 years, s.d. 13.8 years). Both hospital and outpatient records were collected and comprehensively reviewed. The study population was divided into three groups by the year of diagnosis (cohort A: 1977-1989, cohort B: 1990-1998 and cohort C: 1999-2008).

RESULTS

Overall, azathioprine (AZA), systemic steroid, and biological (only available after 1998) exposure was 45.8, 68.6, and 9.5%, respectively. The 1- and 5-year probability of AZA use were 3.2 and 6.2% in cohort A, 11.4 and 29.9% in cohort B, and 34.8 and 46.2% in cohort C. In a multivariate Cox-regression analysis, decade of diagnosis (P < 0.001, hazard ratio (HR)(cohorts B-C): 2.88-6.53), age at onset (P = 0.008, HR: 1.76), disease behavior at diagnosis (P < 0.001, HR(complicated): 1.76-2.07), and need for systemic steroids (P < 0.001, HR: 2.71) were significantly associated with the time to initiation of AZA therapy. Early AZA use was significantly associated with the time to intestinal surgery in CD patients; in a multivariate Cox analysis (HR: 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28-0.65) and after matching on propensity scores for AZA use (HR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.26-0.67).

CONCLUSIONS

This population-based inception cohort has shown that the recent reduction in surgical rates was independently associated with increased and earlier AZA use.

Sex-Based Differences in Incidence of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases-Pooled Analysis of Population-Based Studies From Western Countries

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Although the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) varies with age, few studies have examined variations between the sexes. We therefore used population data from established cohorts to analyze sex differences in IBD incidence according to age at diagnosis.

METHODS

We identified population-based cohorts of patients with IBD for which incidence and age data were available (17 distinct cohorts from 16 regions of Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand). We collected data through December 2016 on 95,605 incident cases of Crohn's disease (CD) (42,831 male and 52,774 female) and 112,004 incident cases of ulcerative colitis (UC) (61,672 male and 50,332 female). We pooled incidence rate ratios of CD and UC for the combined cohort and compared differences according to sex using random effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Female patients had a lower risk of CD during childhood, until the age range of 10-14 years (incidence rate ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.53-0.93), but they had a higher risk of CD thereafter, which was statistically significant for the age groups of 25-29 years and older than 35 years. The incidence of UC did not differ significantly for female vs male patients (except for the age group of 5-9 years) until age 45 years; thereafter, men had a significantly higher incidence of ulcerative colitis than women.

CONCLUSIONS

In a pooled analysis of population-based studies, we found age at IBD onset to vary with sex. Further studies are needed to investigate mechanisms of sex differences in IBD incidence.

Chronological Order of Appearance of Extraintestinal Manifestations Relative to the Time of IBD Diagnosis in the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort

BACKGROUND

Data evaluating the chronological order of appearance of extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) relative to the time of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnosis is currently lacking. We aimed to assess the type, frequency, and chronological order of appearance of EIMs in patients with IBD.

METHODS

Data from the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort Study were analyzed.

RESULTS

The data on 1249 patients were analyzed (49.8% female, median age: 40 [interquartile range, 30-51 yr], 735 [58.8%] with Crohn's disease, 483 [38.7%] with ulcerative colitis, and 31 [2.5%] with indeterminate colitis). A total of 366 patients presented with EIMs (29.3%). Of those, 63.4% presented with 1, 26.5% with 2, 4.9% with 3, 2.5% with 4, and 2.7% with 5 EIMs during their lifetime. Patients presented with the following diseases as first EIMs: peripheral arthritis 70.0%, aphthous stomatitis 21.6%, axial arthropathy/ankylosing spondylitis 16.4%, uveitis 13.7%, erythema nodosum 12.6%, primary sclerosing cholangitis 6.6%, pyoderma gangrenosum 4.9%, and psoriasis 2.7%. In 25.8% of cases, patients presented with their first EIM before IBD was diagnosed (median time 5 mo before IBD diagnosis: range, 0-25 mo), and in 74.2% of cases, the first EIM manifested itself after IBD diagnosis (median: 92 mo; range, 29-183 mo).

CONCLUSIONS

In one quarter of patients with IBD, EIMs appeared before the time of IBD diagnosis. Occurrence of EIMs should prompt physicians to look for potential underlying IBD.

Risk factors for ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal cancer in a Hungarian cohort of patients with ulcerative colitis: results of a population-based study

BACKGROUND

There is an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in ulcerative colitis (UC). The prevalence of UC-associated CRC is different in various geographic regions. The risk depends primarily on the duration and extent of disease. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for and the epidemiology of CRC in Hungarian patients with UC.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated the relevant epidemiological and clinical data of all patients with UC in Veszprem province in our 30-year IBD database (723 patients with UC; male/female, 380/343; non-CRC related colectomies, 3.7%).

RESULTS

CRC was diagnosed in 13 patients (13/8564 person-year duration) during follow-up. Age at diagnosis of CRC was at a median of 51 (range 27-70) years. Eight patients are still alive, 4 died of CRC, and 1 died of an unrelated cause. Longer disease duration, extensive colitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and dysplasia found in the biopsy specimen were identified as risk factors for developing CRC. The cumulative risk of developing CRC after a disease duration of 10 years was 0.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.2%-1.0%); 20 years, 5.4% (95% CI 3.7%-7.1%); and 30 years, 7.5% (95% CI 4.8%-10.2%). CRC diagnosed at surveillance colonoscopy was associated with a tendency for longer survival (P = 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

The cumulative risk of CRC was high in our patients with UC; however, it was lower compared with that reported in Western European and North American studies. CRC developed approximately 15 years earlier compared with sporadic CRC patients in Hungary. Longer disease duration, extensive colitis, dysplasia, and primary sclerosing cholangitis were identified as important risk factors for developing CRC.

Efficacy and Safety of the Biosimilar Infliximab CT-P13 Treatment in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Prospective, Multicentre, Nationwide Cohort

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Biosimilar infliximab CT-P13 is approved for all indications of the originator product in Europe. Prospective data on its efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity in inflammatory bowel diseases are lacking.

METHODS

A prospective, nationwide, multicentre, observational cohort was designed to examine the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of CT-P13 infliximab biosimilar in the induction treatment of Crohn's disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]. Demographic data were collected and a harmonised monitoring strategy was applied. Early clinical remission, response, and early biochemical response were evaluated at Week 14, steroid-free clinical remission was evaluated at Week 30. Therapeutic drug level was monitored using a conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

In all, 210 consecutive inflammatory bowel disease [126 CD and 84 UC] patients were included in the present cohort. At Week 14, 81.4% of CD and 77.6% of UC patients showed clinical response and 53.6% of CD and 58.6% of UC patients were in clinical remission. Clinical remission rates at Week 14 were significantly higher in CD and UC patients who were infliximab naïve, compared with those with previous exposure to the originator compound [p < 0.05]. Until Week 30, adverse events were experienced in 17.1% of all patients. Infusion reactions and infectious adverse events occurred in 6.6% and 5.7% of all patients, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This prospective multicentre cohort shows that CT-P13 is safe and effective in the induction of clinical remission and response in both CD and UC. Patients with previous infliximab exposure exhibited decreased response rates and were more likely to develop allergic reactions.