Risk Prediction and Comparative Efficacy of Anti-TNF vs Thiopurines,for Preventing Postoperative Recurrence in Crohn's Disease: A Pooled Analysis of 6 Trials

1. Download : Download high-res image (390KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Active but transient improvement of endothelial function in rheumatoid arthritis patients undergoing long‐term treatment with anti–tumor necrosis factor α antibody

Objective

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of excessive mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Atherosclerosis and RA share similar inflammatory mechanisms that include involvement of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Anti‐TNFα antibody improved endothelial function in RA patients after a 12‐week treatment. The aim of the present study was to assess whether improvement of endothelial function is still effective in long‐term infliximab‐treated RA patients.

Methods

Seven RA patients (5 women; age range 25–73 years) were studied. They had been treated with infliximab for at least 1 year and were currently being treated with this drug every 8 weeks. Endothelial‐dependent and independent vasodilatation were measured by brachial ultrasonography.

Results

Following infliximab infusion, a rapid increase in the percentage of endothelial‐dependent vasodilatation was found in all patients (mean ± SD 9.4 ± 5.5% 2 days postinfusion compared with 2.8 ± 2.5% 2 days before infusion). However, values returned to baseline by 4 weeks after infusion. There were no differences in the percentage of endothelial‐independent vasodilatation prior to and after infusion. A decrease in the individual disease activity score for each patient was observed at day 7 postinfusion (P = 0.02).

Conclusion

Our study confirms an active but transient effect of infliximab on endothelial function in RA patients treated periodically with this drug. It may support long‐term use of drugs that block TNFα function to reduce the high incidence of cardiovascular complications in RA.

     

新型生物制剂英夫利西治疗克罗恩病10例

目的 观察新型生物制剂英夫利西(infliximab)治疗10例克罗恩病(CD)患者的疗效及安全性.方法 前瞻性开放性研究英夫利西静脉滴注治疗经常规治疗无效或激素依赖的中、重度活动性CD患者8例和以反复下消化道大出血为主要临床表现的CD患者2例.在第0、2、6周给予5 mg/kg荆量作为诱导缓解,随后每隔8周给予相同剂量维持,临床与内镜随访30周.结果 ①治疗2周时,8例活动性CD患者中5例有效;30周时4例临床缓解(其中3例停用激素),1例有效;②2例以反复下消化道出血为主要临床表现者随访30周无再出血;③30周时复查肠镜6例,其中溃疡完全愈合或基本愈合4例;④7例发生不良事件,其中严重不良反应2例,分别为肺炎和迟发型过敏反应各1例.结论 英夫利西可诱导并维持部分活动性CD缓解,促进CD肠黏膜病变愈合,严重不良反应发生率不高.     

Anti-TNF dose escalation and drug sustainability in Crohn’s disease: Data from the nationwide administrative database in Hungary

BackgroundA significant percentage of patients receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFα) agents lose clinical response over time. This study aims to provide representative real-world data on anti-TNFα drug sustainability, prevalence and predictors of anti-TNFα dose escalation.MethodsIn this nationwide, retrospective study, patients receiving infliximab or adalimumab therapy between 2013 and 2016 were included using the administrative claims database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund. Demographic characteristics, drug sustainability, dose escalation, use of parallel medications were analyzed.Results476 infliximab and 397 adalimumab patients were included. Dose escalation was observed in 7%, 9% and 22% of patients receiving originator/biosimilar infliximab and adalimumab during the complete follow-up, respectively. Dose escalation was associated with shorter disease duration (OR = 1.75, p = 0.026) and corticosteroid use. Drug retention rates were 62.7%, 72.3%, 75.4% after 1 year follow-up for Remicade®, Inflectra® and Humira®, which decreased to 38.3% and 52.1% for Remicade® and Humira® at 3 years. Drug sustainability was affected by steroid use prior biologic initiation in adalimumab treated patients (HR = 2.04, p < 0.001), while in infliximab treated patients dose escalation (HR = 0.51, p = 0.02) and gender (HR = 1.39, p = 0.033) were predictors of treatment discontinuation.ConclusionDose escalation rates were lower in this real-world administrative database study for both adalimumab and infliximab compared to published data. Drug retention rates were overall satisfactory, with no apparent difference between the legacy and biosimilar infliximab.     

英夫利西单抗谷浓度及抗体水平监测在维持治疗强直性脊柱炎患者中的临床应用

目的:探讨AS患者英夫利西单抗(IFX)谷浓度(TLs)与疗效的关系,了解抗IFX抗体(ATI)产生情况。方法:连续纳入2017年1月至2018年12月苏北人民医院接受IFX治疗的AS患者38例。在第8次应用IFX前空腹抽取检测血清IFX-TLs和ATI水平,在第1次、第6次、第8次应用IFX前进行AS病情活动度评分(ASDAS),采用单因素方差分析、秩和检验、χ^2检验、Logistic回归分析进行统计学分析。从而进行疗效评价。结果:①38例AS患者,其中6例(16%)出现了ATI。这6例患者第8次IFX给药(38周)时出现病情反弹。②以第8次IFX治疗相比第6次IFX治疗的ASDAS是否上升进行分组,绘制受试者工作曲线(ROC)曲线,计算出IFX-TLs维持在0.635μg/ml以上时,患者病情不易反跳。③Logistic回归分析结果显示IFX-TLs与BMI相关[OR(95%CI)=1.536(1.023,2.308),P=0.039],与合并用药相关[OR(95%CI)=0.218(0.06,0.797),P=0.021]。结论:ATI的产生以及IFX-TLs变化与IFX失应答密切相关,应定期监测,调整治疗方案。     

Does switching anti-TNFα biologic agents represent an effective option in childhood chronic uveitis: The evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis approach

Objective

To summarize the evidence regarding the effectiveness of switching to a second anti-TNFα treatment in children with autoimmune chronic uveitis (ACU), refractory to the first course of anti-TNFα treatment.

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature review between January 2000 and May 2013 to investigate the efficacy of a second anti-TNFα agent in the treatment of ACU in children (≤16 years) refractory to a first course of a single anti-TNFα treatment, topical and/or systemic steroid therapy and at least one DMARD. The primary outcome measure was the improvement of intraocular inflammation, as defined by the SUN working group criteria, at 6 (±2) months of treatment.

Results

Among 1086 identified articles, 128 were scrutinized: 10 observational studies, 6 on adalimumab (ADA), 3 on infliximab (INF), and 1 on both, were deemed eligible. Study cohort included 40 children (ADA = 34 and INF = 6), median age 8 years (range 3–16). Nine were males, 28 females (gender not reported in 3), 39/40 were affected by JIA. Seventeen children received etanercept: 11 were switched to ADA, the remaining 6 to INF. All 23 children who previously received INF were switched to ADA. Altogether, 30 children (24 on ADA, 6 on INF) of 40 responded to treatment: 0.75 (95% CI: 0.51–100) was the combined estimate of the proportion of subjects improving.

Conclusions

Despite the fact that no RCT is available and the number of cases is small, this review provides evidence that switching to a second anti-TNFα agent results in improvement of ocular activity for the 75% treated children     

Role of surgery in severe ulcerative colitis in the era of medical rescue therapy

Despite the growing use of medical salvage therapy, colectomy has remained a cornerstone in managing acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASC) both in children and in adults. Colectomy should be regarded as a life saving procedure in ASC, and must be seriously considered in any steroid-refractory patient. However, colectomy is not a cure for the disease but rather the substitution of a large problem with smaller problems, including fecal incontinence, pouchitis, irritable pouch syndrome, cuffitis, anastomotic ulcer and stenosis, missed or de-novo Crohn's disease and, in young females, reduced fecundity. This notion has led to the widespread practice of offering medical salvage therapy before colectomy in most patients without surgical abdomen or toxic megacolon. Medical salvage therapies which have proved effective in the clinical trial setting include cyclosporine, tacrolimus and infliximab, which seem equally effective in the short term. Validated predictive rules can identify a subset of patients who will eventually fail corticosteroid therapy after only 3-5 d of steroid therapy with an accuracy of 85%-95%. This accuracy is sufficiently high for initiating medical therapy, but usually not colectomy, early in the admission without delaying colectomy if required. This approach has reduced the colectomy rate in ASC from 30%-70% in the past to 10%-20% nowadays, and the mortality rate from over 70% in the 1930s to about 1%. In general, restorative proctocolectomy (ileoanal pouch or ileal pouch-anal anastomosis), especially the J-pouch, is preferred over straight pull-through (ileo-anal) or ileo-rectal anastomosis, which may still be considered in young females concerned about infertility. Colectomy in the acute severe colitis setting, is usually performed in three steps due to the severity of the inflammation, concurrent steroid treatment and the generally reduced clinical condition. The first surgical step involves colectomy and constructing an ileal stoma, the second - constructing the pouch and the third - closing the stoma. This review focuses on the role of surgical treatment in ulcerative colitis in the era of medical rescue therapy.     

Colitis associated with biological agents

In the past, there has been considerable focus on a host of drugs and chemicals that may produce colonic toxicity. Now, a variety of new biological monoclonal antibody agents, usually administered by infusion, have appeared in the clinical realm over the last decade or so to treat different chronic inflammatory or malignant disorders.For some of these agents, adverse effects have been documented, including apparently new forms of immune-mediated inflammatory bowel disease. In some, only limited symptoms have been recorded, but in others, severe colitis with serious complications, such as bowel perforation has been recorded. In others, adverse effects may have a direct vascular or ischemic basis, while other intestinal effects may be related to a superimposed infection. Some new onset cases of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease may also be attributed to the same agents used to treat these diseases, or be responsible for disease exacerbation. Dramatic and well documented side effects have been observed with ipilimumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody developed to reduce and overcome cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4, a key negative feedback regulator of the T-cell anti-tumor response. This agent has frequently been used in the treatment of different malignancies, notably, malignant melanoma. Side effects with this agent occur in up to 40% and these are believed to be largely immune-mediated. One of these is a form of enterocolitis that may be severe, and occasionally, fatal. Other agents include rituximab (an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody), bevacizumab (a monoclonal antibody against the vascular endothelial growth factor) and anti-tumor necrosis factor agents, including infliximab, adalimumab and etanercept.