Clinical and laboratory markers associated with anti-TNF-alpha trough levels and anti-drug antibodies in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

Early and aggressive treatment for Crohn disease using biologics and immunomodulators

ABSTRACT

Traditionally, medical providers have used the step-up approach to manage patients with Crohn disease, starting with 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives, progressing to corticosteroids, and eventually to immunomodulators and biologics. However, a new top-down approach focuses on early and aggressive therapy with biologics and immunomodulators to reduce the rate of mucosal and intestinal damage. This article describes early and aggressive biologic and immunomodulator therapies and new therapeutic parameters compared with traditional step-up treatment for patients with Crohn disease.

Therapeutic drug monitoring in inflammatory bowel diseases. Position statement of the Spanish Working Group on Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

The treatment of inflammatory bowel disease has undergone a significant transformation following the introduction of biologic drugs. Thanks to these drugs, treatment goals have evolved from clinical response and remission to more ambitious objectives, such as endoscopic or radiologic remission. However, even though biologics are highly effective, a significant percentage of patients will not achieve an initial response or may lose it over time. We know that there is a direct relationship between the trough concentrations of the biologic and its therapeutic efficacy, with more demanding therapeutic goals requiring higher drug levels, and inadequate exposure being common. Therapeutic drug monitoring of biologic medications, along with pharmacokinetic models, provides us with the possibility of offering a personalized approach to treatment for patients with IBD. Over the past few years, relevant information has accumulated regarding its utility during or after induction, as well as in the maintenance of biologic treatment, in reactive or proactive strategies, and prior to withdrawal or treatment de-escalation. The aim of this document is to establish recommendations regarding the utility of therapeutic drug monitoring of biologics in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, in different clinical practice scenarios, and to identify areas where its utility is evident, promising, or controversial.

Clinical utility of C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio in the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background and Aim

C-reactive protein (CRP)-to-albumin ratio (CAR) is a novel score with prognostic value in inflammatory conditions. This study assessed the performance of CAR as an objective marker of disease activity and prediction of subtherapeutic infliximab trough levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on three different patient cohorts with IBD: patients who had (i) fecal calprotectin (FC) measurements; (ii) Mayo Endoscopic Scores; and (iii) infliximab trough levels available. The relative performances of CAR, albumin, and CRP were compared in predicting disease activity (based on FC or Mayo Endoscopic Score) and infliximab trough levels.

Results

In both the FC (n = 289) and endoscopy (n = 65) cohorts, albumin and CAR correlated with objective disease activity. CAR (area under the curve [AUC] 0.70) was only marginally better at detecting active disease, measured by FC, compared to CRP (AUC 0.68). A CAR >0.15 was able to detect Mayo 3 disease (AUC 0.83, sensitivity 81%, specificity 89%). Albumin (r = 0.38) and CAR (r = -0.42) correlated with infliximab trough levels (n = 204). The optimal CAR for detecting subtherapeutic infliximab trough levels was >0.08 (AUC 0.70, sensitivity 66%, specificity 64%). Both albumin and CAR were independent predictors of subtherapeutic infliximab trough levels but correlated poorly with infliximab trough levels longitudinally in the same patient.

Conclusion

CAR was only a modest discriminator of subtherapeutic infliximab levels and offers little more than CRP in detecting active disease. CAR has potential to detect severe Mayo 3 disease and could be calculated in patients admitted with suspected acute severe ulcerative colitis.

Trough Concentration Response in Infliximab and Adalimumab Treated Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Following Treatment Adjustment: A Pharmacokinetic Model

OBJECTIVES

In patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), data on trough concentration (TC) response to adjustments of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) are scarce.

METHODS

We included pediatric patients with IBD who were treated with anti-TNFα agents and had sequential monitoring of TC pre- and post-adjustment. Patients with positive anti-drug-antibodies or with concomitant change in immunomodulatory treatment were excluded.

RESULTS

For the entire cohort (86 patients), median age at diagnosis was 13.2 (interquartile range, 10.7-14.9) years [females, 48%; Crohn disease (CD), 72%]. For infliximab, 58 patients had 201 interval changes and 26 had dose increase. Increase in TC following dose increase could not be predicted due to significant variability (P = 0.9). For every 10% decrease in interval, TC was increased by 1.6 µg/mL or by 57.2% (P = 0.014). Perianal disease was associated with attenuated response. For every 10% increase in interval, TC was decreased by 0.66 µg/mL or by 4.2%. The diagnosis of CD was associated with reduced response to interval increase. For adalimumab, 28 patients had 31 and 12 events of interval decrease or increase, respectively. Interval decrease resulted in increased median TC from 4.5 (3.5-5.3) µg/mL to 8.1 (6.5-10.5) µg/mL (X1.8) while interval increase resulted in TC change from 15.5 (12.8-18.6) µg/mL to 9.7 (6.5-14.6) µg/mL (:1.6) (P < 0.001 for both). Increase in delta TC was associated with younger age, and with absence of perianal disease (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Changes in TC following treatment adjustment can be almost linearly predicted for adalimumab while response to infliximab adjustment are more variable.

Management of Non-response and Loss of Response to Anti-tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy has been successfully used as first-line biologic treatment for moderate-to-severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in both “step-up” and “top-down” approaches, and has become a cornerstone of IBD management. However, in a proportion of patients the effectiveness of anti-TNF therapy is sub-optimal. Either patients do not achieve adequate initial response (primary non-response) or they lose response after initial success (loss of response). Therapeutic drug monitoring determines drug serum concentrations and the presence of anti-drug antibodies (ADAbs) and can help guide treatment optimization to improve patient outcomes. For patients with low drug concentrations who are ADAb-negative or display low levels of ADAbs, dose escalation is recommended. Should response remain unchanged following dose optimization the question whether to switch within class (anti-TNF) or out of class (different mechanism of action) arises. If ADAb levels are high and the patient has previously benefited from anti-TNF therapy, then switching within class is a viable option as ADAbs are molecule specific. Addition of an immunomodulator may lead to a decrease in ADAbs and a regaining of response in a proportion of patients. If a patient does not achieve a robust therapeutic response with an initial anti-TNF despite adequate drug levels, then switching out of class is appropriate. In conjunction with the guidance above, other factors including patient preference, age, comorbidities, disease phenotype, extra-intestinal manifestations, and treatment costs need to be factored into the treatment decision. In this review we discuss current evidence in this field and provide guidance on therapeutic decision-making in clinical situations.

Could Mucosal TNF Transcript as a Biomarker Candidate Help Optimize Anti-TNF Biological Therapy in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis?

Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) biological therapy has generally been accepted as a standard therapeutic option in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient who are refractory to steroids or immunomodulators. However, the primary and secondary nonresponse rates to anti-TNF bioagents in patients with IBD are high. To improve the response rate, anti-TNF bioagents must be offered to the appropriate IBD patients, and the withdrawal of anti-TNF bioagents needs to be done at the right time. In this context, reliable and reproducible biomarkers can provide important supportive information for clinicians to make correct decisions based on the patient’s individual situation. In this review, we summarized the current understanding of using mucosal TNF transcript (TNF) to improve the precision of anti-TNF biological therapy strategies in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Analysis of published literature showed that mucosal TNF could affect the precision of the early identification of candidates who will benefit from anti-TNF therapy prior to treatment, the assessment of response and mucosal healing, and the prediction of discontinuation of anti-TNF biological therapy and relapse after drug withdrawal. Challenges and limitations of using mucosal TNF as a biomarker in applying individualized anti-TNF biological therapy in patients with UC still remain and need to be further investigated.

Subcutaneous golimumab induced and maintained clinical response in a child with a biological-experienced steroid-refractory flare of ulcerative colitis: A case report

INTRODUCTION

Golimumab is a fully human antitumor necrosis monoclonal antibody that can be administered by either subcutaneous injection or intravenous infusion. Golimumab is approved for the treatment of the adults with rheumatic diseases, and ulcerative colitis, Whereas in children, golimumab is indicated only for the treatment of active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. We have written on the off-label use of subcutaneous golimumab, which helped to induce and maintain remission on a low-weight biologically experienced child with steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis flare.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 13-year-old pancolitis Syrian boy presented with abdominal pain and six to seven times bloody diarrhea. The child had treated with mesalamine 80 mg/kg/day, azathioprine 2.5 mg/kg/day, infliximab with an induction dose of 5 mg/kg at weeks 0, 2, and 6 followed by 5 mg/kg every 8 weeks. Infliximab did not maintain remission as the patient suffered from two flares that required hospital admission, intravenous corticosteroids, and infliximab escalation. Initial tests disclosed leukocytosis, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, an elevation in C-reactive protein and fecal calprotectin. All Stool studies were negative including routine stool cultures, Clostridium difficile toxin, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Cryptosporidium, and microscopy for ova and parasites. A sigmoidoscopy revealed multiple large ulcerations and spontaneous bleeding, colon biopsies were negative for Clostridium difficile and Cytomegalovirus. Cyclosporine, tacrolimus, and adalimumab were unavailable in Syria. Child's parents opposed colectomy as a treatment option.

DIAGNOSIS

Ulcerative colitis flare.

INTERVENTIONS

A subcutaneous golimumab with a loading dose of 200 mg at week 0, followed by 100 mg at week 2, then 50 mg every 4 weeks.

OUTCOMES

The patient achieved clinical remission by week sixth and maintained the remission for the next 90 weeks. At the time of last evaluation, tests, including C-reactive protein and fecal calprotectin, were within normal limits, complete colonoscopy revealed erythema, edema, mucosal friability, loss of vascular patterns, and pseudo-polyps. The Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index and Mayo scores were 5 and 2 points, respectively. No adverse events were documented.

CONCLUSION

Golimumab has shown potential efficacy and safety in the treatment of ulcerative colitis in children which may indicate a significant future role for subcutaneous golimumab in pediatrics ulcerative colitis.

Dynamics of serum concentrations of antibodies to infliximab: a new approach for predicting secondary loss of response in inflammatory bowel diseases

BACKGROUND

Antibodies to infliximab (ATI) in serum are associated with secondary loss of response (LOR) to infliximab (IFX) therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, feasible ATI-related predictors of therapy success are lacking and knowledge about individual ATI dynamics is limited. Therefore, this study analyzed whether ATI dynamics are able to predict LOR to IFX therapy and compared their predictive power with known predictors of LOR to IFX.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) on IFX maintenance therapy and proactive IFX and immunogenicity monitoring in an outpatient clinic in Germany. Slopes of ATI (S _ATI) and IFX levels (dynamic parameters) and medians of ATI, IFX, C-reactive protein, and fecal calprotectin (static parameters) were calculated over a defined period of time after ATI emergence. Dynamic and static parameters were analyzed for associations with end points infliximab discontinuation due to secondary LOR and total IFX discontinuation.

RESULTS

In all, 500 visits from 38 IBD patients (28 CD, 10 UC) with a median IFX maintenance duration of 68.2 weeks were evaluated. Grouping by S _ATI (ATI-N = ATI nondetectable, ATI- ↓  = negative S _ATI, ATI- ↑  = positive S _ATI) yielded significant differences for outcomes LOR (p = 0.004) and total IFX discontinuation (p = 0.01). Patients in the ATI-↓ group survived significantly longer LOR-free compared with the ATI-↑ group (p = 0.02). Cox regression confirmed S _ATI to be a significant risk factor for LOR (p = 0.002). An S _ATI cut-off of approximately 2.0 AU mL^-1 week^-1 was determined to predict LOR with 83.3% sensitivity and 93.8% specificity.

CONCLUSION

The ATI slope-based index S _ATI is a new feasible diagnostic predictor of LOR in IBD patients. S _ATI may facilitate quick therapeutic decisions after ATI emerge.

Pharmacotherapy of inflammatory bowel diseases: efficacy performance and safety management

Treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases IBD (Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis) is aimed at achieving clinical, endoscopic and histological remission, minimizing surgical complications, and ensuring a normal quality of life. However, the use of medical treatment is potentially associated with various adverse events, among which infectious complications, malignant neoplasms, as well as myelotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, skin lesions and others. The risk of side effects depends on the type of drug therapy (5-aminosalicylates, thiopurines, biologicals, etc.), the duration of treatment, the presence of extra-intestinal manifestations, etc. The article provides an overview of data on both the effectiveness and frequency of various side effects of the main classes of drugs in IBD, presents methods of investigation which can predict the effectiveness and development of side effects, the implementation of which can be considered as a variant of personalized therapy in IBD.

Advances in the optimization of therapeutic drug monitoring using serum, tissue and faecal anti-tumour necrosis factor concentration in patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated with TNF-α antagonists

INTRODUCTION

The relationship between clinical outcomes and serum anti-TNF levels is controversial. The aim of this study was to perform simultaneous analyses of serum, mucosal, and fecal anti-TNF-α levels.

METHODS

Consecutive IBD patients who received maintenance anti-TNF-α therapy were enrolled. The number of TNF-α positive cells in the mucosa was detected using immunofluorescent labeling on biopsy samples. Serum, mucosal and fecal anti-TNF-α, serum anti-drug antibody, and fecal calprotectin levels were determined using ELISA. Each patient underwent body composition analysis as well.

RESULTS

Data of 50 patients were analyzed. The number TNF-α positive cells was significantly higher in the inflamed part of the colon than in the un-inflamed part of the colon. Tissue and fecal drug levels did not show any association with serum drug levels; moreover, serum anti-TNF concentration did not correlate with endoscopic activity. Mucosal anti-TNF levels were higher only in IFX-treated patients in remission and IFX-treated patients with detectable fecal anti-TNF had lower tissue drug levels. Presence of the drug in the feces was significantly different according to disease activity.

CONCLUSION

Fecal drug concentration is suggested to be a better predictor of endoscopic activity and loss of response, and fecal drug monitoring may improve the estimation accuracy of tissue drug levels.