Ustekinumab in bio-naive and bio-failure Crohn's disease patients: Results from a real-life monocentric cohort

Background: The pivotal clinical trials have largely demonstrated the efficacy and safety of ustekinumab in Crohn's disease. Real-life cohorts published so far only include very few bio-naive patients. This study assesses effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in bio-naive and bio-failure patients treated with ustekinumab in routine practice and look for predictors of response. Methods: We performed a retrospective monocentric study. Initial response was assessed by maintenance therapy beyond week 16. Sustained response was assessed by the continuation or cessation of therapy over time for another reason than stopping in sustained remission. Treatment persistence was assessed by Kaplan Meier curves and predictors of treatment persistence were studied by univariate and multivariate Cox model. Results: Out of 156 recorded patients, three patients were still in their induction phase at time of analysis and 5 patients were lost to follow-up, leaving 148 patients for clinical effectiveness analyses, including 35 bio-naive when starting ustekinumab. A maintenance therapy was initiated in 79.7%. At one year, the probability to be still treated with ustekinumab was 73.8%. Treatment cessation increased with smoking in multivariate analysis. Previous biologic failure (as a whole), CRP and fecal calprotectin baseline levels did not influence initial response and treatment persistence. Conclusion: A large proportion of CD patients initially respond to ustekinumab and continue this treatment beyond one year. Treatment persistence is as high in bio-failure as in bio-naive patients. (C) 2020 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found that a large proportion of Crohn's disease patients responded well to ustekinumab initially and continued treatment beyond one year. Treatment persistence was similarly high in both patients who had previously failed other biologics and those who were bio-naive.