IMPACT OF MESALAZINE ON THE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 VACCINATION IN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. RESULTS OF A PROSPECTIVE MULTICENTRE STUDY OF GETECCU (VACOVEII STUDY)

OBJECTIVE

the recommendations of the Spanish Ministry of Health on vaccination in risk groups include mesalazine among the treatments with a possible negative effect on its effectiveness. However, this is not the recommendation of most experts. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of mesalazine on the humoral response to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

METHODS

VACOVEII is a Spanish, prospective, multicenter study promoted by GETECCU, which evaluates the effectiveness of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with IBD. This study includes IBD patients who have recieved the full vaccination schedule and without previous COVID-19 infection. Seroconversion was set at 260 BAU/mL (centralized determination) and was assessed 6 months after full vaccination. In this subanalysis of the study, we compare the effectivenes of the vaccine between patients treated with mesalazine and patients without treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 124 patients without immunosuppressive therapy were included, of which 32 did not receive any treatment and 92 received only mesalazine. Six months after full vaccination, no significant differences are observed in the mean concentrations of IgG anti-S between both groups. In the multivariate analysis, antibody titers were independently associated with the use of mRNA vaccines and with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

CONCLUSION

Mesalazine does not have a negative effect on the response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in IBD patients.

Efficacy and safety of ustekinumab in real clinical practice. Retrospective multicentre study. ARAINF cohort

INTRODUCTION

Ustekinumab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks interleukins 12/23, has proven in clinical trials its efficacy in inducing and maintaining clinical remission of Crohn's disease (CD). Its effectiveness and safety in actual clinical practice is less known and may differ from trials.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate its effectiveness and safety in clinical practice (intravenous induction pattern essentially), such as induction and over the long term, in patients with CD refractory to biological treatment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Multicentre retrospective analysis (6 hospitals in Aragón), which includes all patients (N=69) with CD undergoing treatment with ustekinumab (either with intravenous or subcutaneous induction), who had at least 16 weeks of follow-up. The clinical response or remission has been evaluated at weeks 16, 24, 32 and 48 using the Harvey-Bradshaw index.

RESULTS

A total of 69 patients have been included, mean age 42 years, 54% men. A percentage of 89.86 (95% CI [0.805, 0.949]) of the patients presented clinical improvement at week 16 (15.95% remission, 73.92% response). In the subsequent follow-up, this response has been maintained. Age (OR 0.95, P=.028) and smoking habits (OR 0.19, P=.027) have been identified by an ordinal regression model as predictors of poor treatment response while the need for biological change due to adverse effect (OR 96, P=.00017) and due to loss of secondary response (OR 7.07, P=.034) have been predictors of good response. No serious adverse effects have been reported that forced them to stop taking ustekinumab.

CONCLUSION

Ustekinumab is effective and safe in real clinical practice to achieve induction and maintenance of the response in patients with refractory CD. Tobacco and age have been shown to be predictors of poor response, while the indication for adverse effect to previous biological and for loss of secondary response has been shown to be predictors of good response.