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Herfarth H, Barnes EL, Valentine JF, Hanson J, Higgins PDR, Isaacs KL, Jackson S, Osterman MT, Anton K, Ivanova A, Long MD, Martin C, Sandler RS, Abraham B, Cross RK, Dryden G, Fischer M, Harlan W, Levy C, McCabe R, Polyak S, Saha S, Williams E, Yajnik V, Serrano J, Sands BE, Lewis JD. Methotrexate Is Not Superior to Placebo in Maintaining Steroid-Free Response or Remission in Ulcerative Colitis. Gastroenterology 2018; 155:1098-1108.e9. [PMID: 29964043 PMCID: PMC6174092 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.06.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 06/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Parenteral methotrexate induces clinical remission but not endoscopic improvement of mucosal inflammation in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy of parenteral methotrexate in maintaining steroid-free response or remission in patients with UC after induction therapy with methotrexate and steroids. METHODS We performed a 48-week trial, from February 2012 through May 2016, of 179 patients with active UC (Mayo score of 6-12 with endoscopy subscore ≥ 2) despite previous conventional or biological therapy. The study comprised a 16-week open label methotrexate induction period followed by a 32-week double-blind, placebo-controlled maintenance period. Patients were given subcutaneous methotrexate (25 mg/wk) and a 12-week steroid taper. At week 16, steroid-free responders were randomly assigned to groups that either continued methotrexate (25 mg/wk, n = 44) or were given placebo (n = 40) until week 48. We compared the efficacy of treatment by analyzing the proportion of patients who remained relapse free and were in remission at week 48 without use of steroids or other medications to control disease activity. RESULTS Ninety-one patients (51%) achieved response at week 16, and 84 patients were included in the maintenance period study. During this period, 60% of patients in the placebo group (24/40) and 66% in the methotrexate group (29/44) had a relapse of UC (P = .75). At week 48, 30% of patients in the placebo group (12/40) and 27% of patients in the methotrexate group (12/44) were in steroid-free clinical remission without need for additional therapies (P = .86). No new safety signals for methotrexate were detected. CONCLUSIONS Parenteral methotrexate (25 mg/wk) was not superior to placebo in preventing relapses of UC in patients who achieved steroid-free response during induction therapy. ClinicalTrials.gov, Number: NCT01393405.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Herfarth
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; University of North Carolina Multidisciplinary Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
| | - Edward L Barnes
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC,University of North Carolina Multidisciplinary Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - John F Valentine
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | | | - Peter DR Higgins
- Division of Gastroenterology University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Kim L Isaacs
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC,University of North Carolina Multidisciplinary Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Susan Jackson
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC,University of North Carolina Multidisciplinary Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Mark T Osterman
- Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Kristen Anton
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC,Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC,Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Anastasia Ivanova
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Millie D Long
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC,University of North Carolina Multidisciplinary Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Chris Martin
- Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Robert S Sandler
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC,Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Bincy Abraham
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Houston Methodist – Weill Cornell, Houston, TX
| | - Raymond K Cross
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Gerald Dryden
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
| | - Monika Fischer
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
| | | | - Campbell Levy
- Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
| | | | - Steven Polyak
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Sumona Saha
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
| | - Emmanuelle Williams
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA
| | - Vijay Yajnik
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jose Serrano
- Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Bruce E Sands
- Dr Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - James D Lewis
- Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA,Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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- see sites and investigators in Supplementary Material
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Levesque BG, Sandborn WJ, Ruel J, Feagan BG, Sands BE, Colombel JF. Converging goals of treatment of inflammatory bowel disease from clinical trials and practice. Gastroenterology 2015; 148:37-51.e1. [PMID: 25127678 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2014.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2014] [Revised: 08/02/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
It is important to have clear goals for treating inflammatory bowel disease in clinical practice and in research. Conventional end points for trials in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have been based on composite indices, such as the Mayo Clinic Score and the Crohn's Disease Activity Index; these indices incorporate symptoms, signs, and findings from laboratory tests and sometimes endoscopic assessments. Although definitions of clinical response and remission have been based on these indices for regulatory purposes, they are difficult to apply to practice because they are complex and not intuitive to clinicians. This has caused a disconnect between clinical trials and practice. Recently, the use of composite indices in trials has been reevaluated in Food and Drug Administration-sponsored Gastroenterology Regulatory Endpoints and the Advancement of Therapeutics workshops due to concerns about the validity of the indices. Alternative measures of outcome and definitions of response are being developed. Patient-reported outcomes are psychometric instruments created and defined by patients to quantify symptoms. A combination of end points, comprising patient-reported outcomes and objective evaluation of inflammation by endoscopy, offers a clinically meaningful and scientifically valid alternative to existing composite indices. Unlike composite indices, response definitions based on endoscopy and patient-reported outcomes can be readily applied in practice. This convergence of outcome assessment in clinical trials and practice could expedite implementation of "treat-to-target" algorithms, in which therapy is progressively intensified until a specific treatment goal is reached. This approach could improve patient care by reducing rates of disease-related complications, surgery, and hospitalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barrett G Levesque
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - William J Sandborn
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.
| | - Joannie Ruel
- Dr Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Brian G Feagan
- Robarts Clinical Trials, Robarts Research Institute, Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bruce E Sands
- Dr Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Jean-Frederic Colombel
- Dr Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
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Bouguen G, Siproudhis L, Gizard E, Wallenhorst T, Billioud V, Bretagne JF, Bigard MA, Peyrin-Biroulet L. Long-term outcome of perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease treated with infliximab. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2013; 11:975-81.e1-4. [PMID: 23376316 DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2012.12.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Revised: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 12/28/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Little is known about the long-term efficacy of infliximab for patients with fistulizing perianal Crohn's disease. We evaluated outcomes and predictors of outcomes in these patients. METHODS The medical records of 156 patients treated with infliximab for fistulizing perianal Crohn's disease at 2 referral centers from 1999 through 2010 were reviewed through September 2011. Cumulative probabilities of fistula closure and recurrence were estimated by using the Kaplan-Meier method. Predictors of outcomes were identified by using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS When infliximab treatment began, only 17.9% of patients had a simple fistula; seton drainage was performed for 97 patients (62%). Concomitant immunosuppressants were given to 90 patients (56%). After a median follow-up period of 250 weeks, 108 patients (69%) had at least 1 fistula closure. Cumulative probabilities of first fistula closure were 40% and 65% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. Factors that predicted fistula closure were ileocolonic disease (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.88), concomitant immunosuppressants (HR = 2.58), duration of seton drainage <34 weeks (HR = 2.31), and long duration of infliximab treatment (HR = 1.76). Of the 108 patients with fistula closure, cumulative probabilities of first fistula recurrence were 16.6% and 40.1% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. Forty-four patients (28.9%) developed an abscess during follow-up. A number of infliximab infusions greater than 19 was associated with less abscess recurrence (HR = 0.33). At the maximal follow-up time, 55% of patients had fistula closure. CONCLUSIONS About two-thirds of patients with fistulizing perianal Crohn's disease had fistula closure, and one-third had fistula recurrence after infliximab initiation. Combination therapy, duration of seton drainage less than 34 weeks, and long-term treatment with infliximab were associated with better outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Bouguen
- Department of Hepato-Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Rennes, Pontchaillou, Inserm U991 University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France
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