Background
The development program (UNIFI) has shown promising results of ustekinumab in ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment that should be confirmed in clinical practice.
Aims
To evaluate the durability, effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in UC in real-life.
Methods
Patients included in the prospectively maintained ENEIDA registry who received at least one intravenous dose of ustekinumab due to active UC [Partial Mayo Score (PMS) >2] were included. Clinical activity and effectiveness were defined based on PMS. Short-term response was assessed at week 16.
Results
A total of 95 patients were included. At week 16, 53% of patients had response (including 35% of patients in remission). In the multivariate analysis, elevated serum C-reactive protein was the only variable significantly associated with lower likelihood of achieving remission. Remission was achieved in 39% and 33% of patients at weeks 24 and 52, respectively. Thirty-six percent of patients discontinued the treatment with ustekinumab during a median follow-up of 31 weeks. The probability of maintaining ustekinumab treatment was 87% at week 16, 63% at week 56, and 59% at week 72; primary failure was the main reason for ustekinumab discontinuation. No variable was associated with risk of discontinuation. Three patients reported adverse events; one of them had a fatal severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Conclusions
Ustekinumab is effective both in the short and the long-term in real-life, even in a highly refractory cohort. Higher inflammatory burden at baseline correlated with lower probability of achieving remission. Safety was consistent with the known profile of ustekinumab.
HSCT is a salvage therapy for patients with extensive and refractory CD. Although relapse occurs in a majority of patients within 5 years after transplant, drug responsiveness is regained and clinical remission achieved in 80% of cases.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.