Early Clinical Remission Is a Predictor of Long-Term Remission with the Use of Vedolizumab for Ulcerative Colitis

Vedolizumab (VDZ) is an alpha 4 beta 7 integrin-antibody used to manage refractory ulcerative colitis (UC). This retrospective multicenter study aimed to identify predictors of efficacy or the time points when evaluation of VDZ therapy for UC would be most useful. We compiled data on 87 patients with moderate to severe active UC that was treated with VDZ. Overall clinical remission (CR) rates at 6 weeks and 52 weeks after VDZ administration were 44.4% (bio-naive 44.2%, bio-failure 44.8%) and 52.8% (bio-naive 53.5%, bio-failure 51.7%) respectively. Also, 83.3% (bio-naive 81.3%, bio-failure 85.7%) of patients achieved mucosal healing at week 52. Among patients with a CR at week 52, 73.3% had a CR at week 6. In contrast, of patients who discontinued VDZ, 82.4% had not reached a CR at week 6. Our study demonstrated that VDZ was effective in a large percentage of UC patients, with a high mucosal healing rate even after prior biological exposures. This suggests that VDZ can be a treatment option even in bio-failure cases. Additionally, it was considered that early CR can predict long-term remission and that week 6 can be a helpful evaluation point for treatment decisions when using VDZ for UC.

Automated summary

This study found that VDZ is effective in the majority of UC patients, with a high rate of mucosal healing even in those who have previously failed biological therapy. Early clinical remission can predict long-term remission, and week 6 can be a useful evaluation point when using VDZ for UC treatment.