The Unfinished Symphony: Golimumab Therapy for Anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor Refractory Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease: an update

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic, relapsing and remitting inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is increasing in incidence and prevalence globally. Management aims to achieve endoscopic healing, symptom resolution and improvement in quality of life. Therapeutic approaches in CD vary depending on disease phenotype. Thiopurines are important in steroid-sparing maintenance therapy, while anti-tumour necrosis factor agents play a fundamental role, especially in fistulising CD. Suboptimal response to these medications may require escalation to other immunosuppressive and biologic therapies, and surgical intervention is still required in a proportion of patients. Tailoring treatment to target specific patient phenotypes, disease severity and patient wishes is becoming more feasible with the growing array of therapeutic options in CD.

ECCO Topical Review: Refractory Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic disease with variable degrees of extent, severity, and activity. A proportion of patients will have disease that is refractory to licensed therapies, resulting in significant impairment in quality of life. The treatment of these patients involves a systematic approach by the entire multidisciplinary team, with particular consideration given to medical options including unlicensed therapies, surgical interventions, and dietetic and psychological support. The purpose of this review is to guide clinicians through this process and provide an accurate summary of the available evidence for different strategies.

Golimumab (anti-TNF monoclonal antibody): where we stand today

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine and its overexpression has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Biological therapies, like TNF inhibitors, have been revolutionizing the course of these disorders. Golimumab is a transgenic anti-TNF monoclonal antibody that acts primarily by targeting and neutralizing TNF, thus preventing inflammation. It is approved for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Nonradiographic axial Spondyloarthritis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, and Ulcerative Colitis. Clinical trials are also being conducted in other conditions. This review charts the clinical development of golimumab and outlines the data that support its potential use across several Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

Two years follow-up of golimumab treatment in refractory enteropathic spondyloarthritis patients with Crohn disease: A STROBE-compliant study

Golimumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor (TNF) approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and not for Crohn disease (CD). Many CD patients experience primary, secondary failure, or intolerance to other TNF inhibitors (TNFi) approved in Italy for CD (adalimumab and infliximab). Spondyloarthritis (SpA) may be associated with CD (enteropathic, ESpA) in up to 50% of patients requiring a multidisciplinary and tailored approach. However, only few data from literature and no formal trials determined the efficacy and safety of golimumab in ESpA patients. We performed a case series on 12 patients affected by active CD and active ESpA were failure or intolerant to previous TNFi approved in Italy for both SpA and CD, infliximab and adalimumab. Golimumab was administered following rheumatologic dosage (subcutaneous 50 mg monthly; 100 mg monthly for patients ≥100 kg). Gastrointestinal and rheumatologic disease activity was evaluated with a follow-up of 2 years. A total of 9 patients were followed for 2 years of golimumab treatment. CD clinical activity ameliorated as shown by the reduction of Harvey-Bradshaw index and Crohn disease activity index (CDAI) at 12 and 24 months of treatment (P = .03 and P = .04, respectively) associated with reduction of C-reactive protein at 12 and 24 months (P = .04 for both comparisons) of treatment. SpA assessment revealed a significant reduction in tender joint count at 6 (P = .03), 12 (P = .03), and 24 months (P = .007) of treatment. Swollen joint count, pain, SpA disease activity, and disability reduced in several patients during the follow-up. No adverse events were registered in the follow-up. We demonstrate good clinical efficacy and safety profile of both gastrointestinal and rheumatologic involvement. This may indicate promising therapeutic option for ESpA patients affected by CD, and non-responsive to other TNFi.

Identification of Target Golimumab Levels in Maintenance Therapy of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Associated With Mucosal Healing

INTRODUCTION

Golimumab is approved as a therapy for ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. Recent data also demonstrate efficacy in Crohn's disease (CD); however, little is known about target drug levels to achieve endoscopic remission.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of IBD patients on maintenance golimumab. Median trough levels were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test, and logistic regression was used to construct a probabilistic model to determine sensitivity and specificity of levels predicting mucosal healing.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight patients on maintenance golimumab were included (n = 39 CD, n = 19 UC/IBD-unclassified [IBDU]). Forty percent (n = 23) were cotreated with an immunomodulator, 95% (n = 55) of patients were anti-TNF experienced, and 15.5% (n = 9) had 3 or more prior biologic therapies. Forty-four percent of patients achieved mucosal healing with endoscopic response in a further 26% of patients. Clinical remission was recorded in 41% of patients, and 82% had clinical response. Patients were treated with doses generally higher than the approved maintenance dose. In CD patients, median golimumab trough levels were higher in patients with mucosal healing (8.8 μg/mL vs 5.08 μg/mL, P = 0.03). After calculation of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for mucosal healing vs nonresponse, a trough level >8 μg/mL was associated with mucosal healing, with 67% sensitivity, 88% specificity, and a likelihood ratio of 3:4.

CONCLUSION

Treatment with golimumab was associated with mucosal healing in 44% of all IBD patients. Higher golimumab levels were associated with mucosal healing in CD. These findings support the need for prospective studies to determine target golimumab levels in IBD, which may impact current clinical practices in relation to selection of maintenance dosing.

A Pharmacological Approach to Managing Inflammatory Bowel Disease During Conception, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Biologic and Oral Small Molecule Therapy

The inflammatory bowel diseases commonly affect individuals during their peak reproductive years. Patients are often concerned about the impact of medical therapies on their ability to conceive, effect on the fetus, as well as the ability to breastfeed, which has led to poor medical adherence during pregnancy. However, most medications are safe, and discontinuation may lead to active disease, which is associated with adverse materno-fetal outcomes. The anti-TNF biologic therapies, infliximab and adalimumab have been extensively studied in the context of pregnancy. They are actively transferred to the placenta during the second and third trimesters; these have not been associated with an increased rate of congenital abnormalities or fetal death. The minimal amounts of drug that are transferred to breast milk are proteolyzed by the infant's digestive system with no reported short- or long-term adverse effects. There is a paucity of clinical data for the other approved anti-TNF agents or newer anti-integrin (vedolizumab) and anti-interleukin (ustekinumab) therapies used in the management of inflammatory bowel disease; however, no significant safety signals have been documented thus far. The new oral small molecule therapy, tofacitinib is teratogenic in animal models and is contra-indicated in patients attempting pregnancy. It is important that patients, as well as physicians managing patients with these conditions, be aware of the impact of these medical therapies during pregnancy.

Mechanism-Based Treatment Strategies for IBD: Cytokines, Cell Adhesion Molecules, JAK Inhibitors, Gut Flora, and More

Background

Although TNF inhibitors revolutionized the therapy of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we have been reaching a point where other therapies with different mechanisms of action are necessary. A rising number of elderly IBD patients with contraindications to established therapies and a growing group of patients losing response to anti-TNF therapy compel us to find safer, better-tolerated, and, ideally, personalized treatment options. However, in order to choose the right drug to fit a patient, it is indispensable to understand the pathomechanism involved in IBD.

Summary

The aim of this review is to explain the inflammatory signaling pathways in IBD and how to inhibit them with current and future therapeutic approaches. Next to biologic agents targeting inflammatory cytokines (anti-TNF agents, anti-IL-12/-23 agents, and specific inhibitors of IL-23), biologics blocking leukocyte trafficking to the gut (anti-integrin antibodies) are available nowadays. More recently, small molecules inhibiting the JAK-STAT pathway (JAK inhibitors) or preventing lymphocyte trafficking (sphingosine-1-phosphate modulators) have been approved or are under investigation. Furthermore, modifying the microbiota has potential therapeutic effects on IBD, and autologous hematopoietic or mesenchymal stem cell transplantation may be considered for a highly selected group of IBD patients.

Key Message

Physicians should understand the different mechanisms of action of the potential therapies for IBD to select the right drug for the right patient.

Pharmacological Autophagy Regulators as Therapeutic Agents for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

The arsenal of effective molecules to treat patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) remains limited. These remitting-relapsing diseases have become a global health issue and new therapeutic strategies are eagerly awaited to regulate the course of these disorders. Since the association between autophagy-related gene polymorphism and an increased risk of Crohn's disease (CD) has been discovered, a new domain of investigation has emerged, focused on the intracellular degradation system, with the objective of generating new medicines that are safer and more targeted. This review summarizes the drugs administered to IBD patients and describes recently emerged therapeutic agents. We compile evidence on the contribution of autophagy to IBD pathogenesis, give an overview of pharmacological autophagy regulators in animal models of colitis, and propose novel therapeutic avenues based on autophagy components.

Golimumab in the treatment of ulcerative colitis

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.

Clinical effectiveness of golimumab in Crohn's disease: an observational study based on the Swedish National Quality Registry for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (SWIBREG)

OBJECTIVE

The effectiveness of golimumab in Crohn's disease (CD) is largely unknown as it is not approved for the treatment of the disease. We aimed to identify the population of CD patients treated with golimumab in Sweden, to assess the effectiveness of golimumab (defined as the drug retention rate), and to identify predictors of drug discontinuation.

METHODS

Patients with CD who received at least one injection of golimumab were identified through the Swedish National Quality Registry for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which includes prospectively collected clinical information. Cox regression models were used to identify predictors of golimumab discontinuation.

RESULTS

The study cohort involved 94 patients of whom the majority (96.8%) had previously discontinued at least one anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agent. The drug retention rate at 12 weeks was 85.1%. Predictors of golimumab discontinuation at 12 weeks were previous surgery (adjusted HR = 7.52, 95% CI: 1.12-50.36), concomitant corticosteroid use at baseline (adjusted HR = 5.70, 95% CI: 1.13-28.68) and female sex (adjusted HR = 6.59; 95% CI: 1.04-41.62). The median duration of follow-up was 89 (IQR: 32-158) weeks. The drug retention at the most recent follow-up was 35.1%. Predictors of golimumab discontinuation at the most recent follow-up were corticosteroid use at baseline (adjusted HR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.17-5.79) and female sex (adjusted HR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.19-4.23).

CONCLUSION

Patients with CD treated with golimumab were a treatment-refractory group. Despite this, more than one-third of the patients appeared to have had clinical benefit after a median follow-up of more than 1.5 years.