Association of Biomarker Cutoffs and Endoscopic Outcomes in Crohn's Disease: A Post Hoc Analysis From the CALM Study

Abstract Background CALM was a randomized phase 3 trial in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) that demonstrated improved endoscopic outcomes when treatment was escalated based on cutoffs for inflammatory biomarkers, fecal calprotectin (FC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and CD Activity Index (CDAI) remission vs CDAI response alone. The purpose of this post hoc analysis of CALM was to identify drivers of treatment escalation and evaluate the association between biomarker cutoff concentrations and endoscopic end points. Methods The proportion of patients achieving CD Endoscopic Index of Severity (CDEIS) <4 and no deep ulcers 48 weeks after randomization was evaluated according to CRP <5 mg/L or ≥5 mg/L and FC <250 μg/g or ≥250 μg/g. Subgroup analyses were performed according to disease location, and sensitivity analyses were conducted in patients with elevated CRP and/or FC at baseline. The association between endoscopic end points and biomarker cutoffs was performed using χ 2 test. Results The proportion of patients who achieved the primary end point CDEIS <4 and no deep ulcers was significantly greater for those with FC <250 µg/g (74%; P < 0.001), with an additive effect for CRP <5 mg/L. The association of FC <250 µg/g with improved endoscopic outcomes was independent of disease location, although the greatest association was observed for ileocolonic disease. Fecal calprotectin <250 µg/g, CRP <5 mg/L, and CDAI <150 gave a sensitivity/specificity of 72%/63% and positive/negative predictive values of 86%/42% for CDEIS <4 and no deep ulcers 48 weeks after randomization. Conclusion This post hoc analysis of CALM demonstrated that a cutoff of FC <250 µg/g is a useful surrogate marker for mucosal healing in CD

O58 Risankizumab therapy in crohn’s patients results in sustained improvements in endoscopic outcomes: FORTIFY post-hoc analysis

IntroductionThis post-hoc analysis from Phase 3 Rizankizumab (RZB) studies in Crohn’s disease (CD) examined the durability of SC RZB maintenance therapy for endoscopic outcomes in patients achieving these endpoints at the end of induction.MethodsPatients achieving clinical response with 12-wks IV RZB induction therapy entered the maintenance study, FORTIFY, and received either RZB SC or placebo for 52 wks. For this analysis, endoscopic outcomes in the RZB 360 mg SC (N=141) and withdrawal/placebo (PBO) (N=164) arms are reported. Maintenance of endoscopic response, endoscopic remission, and/or an SES-CD score of 0–2 were assessed at Wk52 in patients who achieved these endpoints at Wk0 of maintenance. Safety was assessed throughout.ResultsFollowing 12-wks of IV RZB induction therapy (FORTIFY Wk0), 141 patients were randomized to RZB 360 mg (patients achieving endoscopic response, 55/141; endoscopic remission, 39/141; SES-CD score of 0–2, 29/141) and 164 were randomized to withdrawal PBO (patients achieving endoscopic response, 73/164; endoscopic remission, 46/164; SES-CD 0–2, 32/164). Maintenance of endoscopic response at Wk52 was demonstrated in 70.2% (39/55) of patients receiving RZB 360 mg SC versus 38.4% (28/73) in the withdrawal PBO arm (P 50% from baseline (or for subjects with isolated ileal disease and a baseline SES-CD of 4, at least a 2-point reduction from baseline); Endoscopic remission: SES-CD ≤ 4 and at least a 2-point reduction versus baseline and no subscore greater than 1 in any individual variable.Abstract O58 Figure 1Durability of Endoscopic Outcomes with Risankizumab Maintenance Therapy in Moderate to Severe C

Guideline for the evaluation of cholestatic jaundice in infants

Cholestatic jaundice in infancy affects approximately 1 in every 2500 term infants and is infrequently recognized by primary providers in the setting of physiologic jaundice. Cholestatic jaundice is always pathologic and indicates hepatobiliary dysfunction. Early detection by the primary care physician and timely referrals to the pediatric gastroenterologist/hepatologist are important contributors to optimal treatment and prognosis. The most common causes of cholestatic jaundice in the first months of life are biliary atresia (25%-40%) followed by an expanding list of monogenic disorders (25%), along with many unknown or multifactorial (eg, parenteral nutrition-related) causes, each of which may have time-sensitive and distinct treatment plans. Thus, these guidelines can have an essential role for the evaluation of neonatal cholestasis to optimize care. The recommendations from this clinical practice guideline are based upon review and analysis of published literature and the combined experience of the authors. The committee recommends that any infant noted to be jaundiced after 2 weeks of age be evaluated for cholestasis with measurement of total and direct serum bilirubin, and that an elevated serum direct bilirubin level (direct bilirubin levels >1.0 mg/dL or >17 μmol/L) warrants timely consideration for evaluation and referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist or hepatologist. Of note, current differential diagnostic plans now incorporate consideration of modern broad-based next-generation DNA sequencing technologies in the proper clinical context. These recommendations are a general guideline and are not intended as a substitute for clinical judgment or as a protocol for the care of all infants with cholestasis. Broad implementation of these recommendations is expected to reduce the time to the diagnosis of pediatric liver diseases, including biliary atresia, leading to improved outcomes

Tight control for Crohn's disease with adalimumab-based treatment is cost-effective: An economic assessment of the CALM trial

Objective To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of an inflammatory biomarker and clinical symptom directed tight control strategy (TC) compared with symptom-based clinical management (CM) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) naïve to immunosuppressants and biologics using a UK public payer perspective. Design A regression model estimated weekly CD Activity Index (CDAI)-based transition matrices (remission: CDAI <150, moderate: CDAI ≥150 to <300, severe: CDAI ≥300 to <450, very severe: CDAI ≥450) based on the Effect of Tight Control Management on Crohn's Disease (CALM) trial. A regression predicted hospitalisations. Health utilities and costs were applied to health states. Work productivity was monetised and included in sensitivity analyses. Remission rate, CD-related hospitalisations, adalimumab injections, other direct medical costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were calculated. Results Over 48 weeks, TC was associated with a higher clinical remission (CDAI <150) rate (58.2% vs 46.8%), fewer CD-related hospitalisations (0.124 vs 0.297 events per patient) and more injections of adalimumab (40 mg sc) (mean 31.0 vs 24.7) than CM. TC was associated with 0.032 higher QALYs and £593 higher total medical costs. The ICER was £18 656 per QALY. The ICER was cost-effective in 57.9% of simulations. TC became dominant, meaning less costly but more effective, when work productivity was included. Conclusion A TC strategy as used in the CALM trial is cost-effective compared with CM. Incorporating costs related to work productivity increases the economic value of TC. Cross-national inferences from this analysis should be made with caution given differences in healthcare systems

Maintenance Risankizumab Sustains Induction Response in Patients with Crohn's Disease in a Randomized Phase 3 Trial

Durable clinical remission, endoscopic healing, and biomarker normalization are key treatment goals for Crohn's disease. The selective anti-interleukin-23 p19 inhibitor risankizumab has demonstrated efficacy and safety in moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. This post-hoc analysis of data from the pivotal risankizumab maintenance study assessed whether risankizumab maintenance therapy sustained the clinical and endoscopic outcomes achieved with risankizumab induction therapy. We evaluated 462 patients who achieved a clinical response to risankizumab intravenous induction treatment and were re-randomized to receive subcutaneous risankizumab 360 mg, subcutaneous risankizumab 180 mg, or placebo [withdrawal] every 8 weeks for 52 weeks in the randomized, controlled FORTIFY maintenance study. Maintenance of clinical, endoscopic, and biomarker endpoints at week 52 among patients who achieved these endpoints after 12 weeks of induction treatment was evaluated. A significantly higher proportion of patients receiving maintenance treatment with risankizumab 360 or 180 mg compared with placebo [withdrawal] maintained Crohn's Disease Activity Index remission [68.6%, 70.8%, vs 56.3%; p < 0.05], stool frequency/abdominal pain remission [69.2%, 64.1%, vs 50.5%; p < 0.01], endoscopic response [70.2%, 68.2%, vs 38.4%; p < 0.001], endoscopic remission [74.4%, 45.5%, vs 23.9%; p < 0.05], and Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease of 0-2 [65.5%, 36.7%, vs 21.9%]. Most patients [56.8-83.3%] who achieved normalized faecal calprotectin or C-reactive protein during induction sustained them with maintenance risankizumab. Subcutaneous risankizumab maintenance therapy results in durable improvement in clinical and endoscopic outcomes over 1 year in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. NCT03105102

Effect of tight control management on Crohn's disease (CALM): a multicentre, randomised, controlled phase 3 trial

Biomarkers of intestinal inflammation, such as faecal calprotectin and C-reactive protein, have been recommended for monitoring patients with Crohn's disease, but whether their use in treatment decisions improves outcomes is unknown. We aimed to compare endoscopic and clinical outcomes in patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease who were managed with a tight control algorithm, using clinical symptoms and biomarkers, versus patients managed with a clinical management algorithm. CALM was an open-label, randomised, controlled phase 3 study, done in 22 countries at 74 hospitals and outpatient centres, which evaluated adult patients (aged 18-75 years) with active endoscopic Crohn's disease (Crohn's Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity [CDEIS] >6; sum of CDEIS subscores of >6 in one or more segments with ulcers), a Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) of 150-450 depending on dose of prednisone at baseline, and no previous use of immunomodulators or biologics. Patients were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to tight control or clinical management groups, stratified by smoking status (yes or no), weight ( 2 years) after 8 weeks of prednisone induction therapy, or earlier if they had active disease. In both groups, treatment was escalated in a stepwise manner, from no treatment, to adalimumab induction followed by adalimumab every other week, adalimumab every week, and lastly to both weekly adalimumab and daily azathioprine. This escalation was based on meeting treatment failure criteria, which differed between groups (tight control group before and after random assignment: faecal calprotectin ≥250 μg/g, C-reactive protein ≥5mg/L, CDAI ≥150, or prednisone use in the previous week; clinical management group before random assignment: CDAI decrease of 200; clinical management group after random assignment: CDAI decrease of <100 points compared with baseline or CDAI ≥200, or prednisone use in the previous week). De-escalation was possible for patients receiving weekly adalimumab and azathioprine or weekly adalimumab alone if failure criteria were not met. The primary endpoint was mucosal healing (CDEIS <4) with absence of deep ulcers 48 weeks after randomisation. Primary and safety analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population. This trial has been completed, and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01235689. Between Feb 11, 2011, and Nov 3, 2016, 244 patients (mean disease duration: clinical management group, 0·9 years [SD 1·7]; tight control group, 1·0 year [2·3]) were randomly assigned to monitoring groups (n=122 per group). 29 (24%) patients in the clinical management group and 32 (26%) patients in the tight control group discontinued the study, mostly because of adverse events. A significantly higher proportion of patients in the tight control group achieved the primary endpoint at week 48 (56 [46%] of 122 patients) than in the clinical management group (37 [30%] of 122 patients), with a Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test-adjusted risk difference of 16·1% (95% CI 3·9-28·3; p=0·010). 105 (86%) of 122 patients in the tight control group and 100 (82%) of 122 patients in the clinical management group reported treatment-emergent adverse events; no treatment-related deaths occurred. The most common adverse events were nausea (21 [17%] of 122 patients), nasopharyngitis (18 [15%]), and headache (18 [15%]) in the tight control group, and worsening Crohn's disease (35 [29%] of 122 patients), arthralgia (19 [16%]), and nasopharyngitis (18 [15%]) in the clinical management group. CALM is the first study to show that timely escalation with an anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy on the basis of clinical symptoms combined with biomarkers in patients with early Crohn's disease results in better clinical and endoscopic outcomes than symptom-driven decisions alone. Future studies should assess the effects of such a strategy on long-term outcomes such as bowel damage, surgeries, hospital admissions, and disability. AbbVi

Effect of tight control management on Crohn's disease (CALM): a multicentre, randomised, controlled phase 3 trial.

Background Biomarkers of intestinal inflammation, faecal calprotectin (FC) and C-reactive protein (CRP), have been recommended to monitor patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), but whether their use in treatment decisions improves outcomes remains unknown. In CALM, we compared endoscopic and clinical outcomes at 48 weeks in moderate to severe CD managed with a tight control (TC) algorithm utilising clinical symptoms and biomarkers versus clinical management (CM) algorithm. Methods CALM (ClinicalTrial.gov number NCT01235689) was an open-label, multicentre, Phase 3 study in adult patients naïve to immunomodulator and biologics with active endoscopic CD (CD Endoscopic Index of Severity (CDEIS)>6 and sum of CDEIS subscores >6 in ≥1 segment with ulcers ). Patients were randomised 1:1 to TC or CM groups after 8 weeks of prednisone induction therapy or earlier if they had active disease. In both groups, treatment was escalated in a step-wise manner from no treatment to adalimumab induction+every other week, every week (EW), and EW+azathioprine based on meeting failure criteria (FC≥250 g/g, CRP≥5mg/L, Crohn’s Disease Activity Index [CDAI]≥150, and/or prednisone for TC and CDAI and/or prednisone for CM). De-escalation was possible for adalimumab EW±azathioprine if failure criteria were not met. The primary endpoint of mucosal healing (CDEIS Findings A total of 244 patients (mean disease duration approximately 1 year) were randomised. Significantly higher proportion of patients in TC achieved the primary endpoint at week 48 (45·9%, n56) than in CM (30·3%, n37) with CMH adjusted risk difference of 16·1% (95% CI 3·9–28·3), p0·010). The overall rate of adverse events was similar between TC and CM. Interpretation Monitoring therapy using symptoms and biomarkers of inflammation led to superior endoscopic and clinical outcomes in CD after 48 weeks post-randomisation compared with symptom-driven decisions alone.</p

Risankizumab as induction therapy for Crohn's disease: results from the phase 3 ADVANCE and MOTIVATE induction trials

Background: Risankizumab, an interleukin (IL)-23 p19 inhibitor, was evaluated for safety and efficacy as induction therapy in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. Methods: ADVANCE and MOTIVATE were randomised, double-masked, placebo-controlled, phase 3 induction studies. Eligible patients aged 16–80 years with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease, previously showing intolerance or inadequate response to one or more approved biologics or conventional therapy (ADVANCE) or to biologics (MOTIVATE), were randomly assigned to receive a single dose of intravenous risankizumab (600 mg or 1200 mg) or placebo (2:2:1 in ADVANCE, 1:1:1 in MOTIVATE) at weeks 0, 4, and 8. We used interactive response technology for random assignment, with stratification by number of previous failed biologics, corticosteroid use at baseline, and Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's disease (SES-CD). All patients and study personnel (excluding pharmacists who prepared intravenous solutions) were masked to treatment allocation throughout the study. Coprimary endpoints were clinical remission (defined by Crohn's disease activity index [CDAI] or patient-reported outcome criteria [average daily stool frequency and abdominal pain score]) and endoscopic response at week 12. The intention-to-treat population (all eligible patients who received at least one dose of study drug in the 12-week induction period) was analysed for efficacy outcomes. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of study drug. Both trials were registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03105128 (ADVANCE) and NCT03104413 (MOTIVATE), and are now complete. Findings: Participants were enrolled between May 10, 2017, and Aug 24, 2020 (ADVANCE trial), and Dec 18, 2017 and Sept 9, 2020 (MOTIVATE trial). In ADVANCE, 931 patients were assigned to either risankizumab 600 mg (n=373), risankizumab 1200 mg (n=372), or placebo (n=186). In MOTIVATE, 618 patients were assigned to risankizumab 600 mg (n=206), risankizumab 1200 mg (n=205), or placebo (n=207). The primary analysis population comprised 850 participants in ADVANCE and 569 participants in MOTIVATE. All coprimary endpoints at week 12 were met in both trials with both doses of risankizumab (p values ≤0·0001). In ADVANCE, CDAI clinical remission rate was 45% (adjusted difference 21%, 95% CI 12–29; 152/336) with risankizumab 600 mg and 42% (17%, 8–25; 141/339) with risankizumab 1200 mg versus 25% (43/175) with placebo; stool frequency and abdominal pain score clinical remission rate was 43% (22%, 14–30; 146/336) with risankizumab 600 mg and 41% (19%, 11–27; 139/339) with risankizumab 1200 mg versus 22% (38/175) with placebo; and endoscopic response rate was 40% (28%, 21–35; 135/336) with risankizumab 600 mg and 32% (20%, 14–27; 109/339) with risankizumab 1200 mg versus 12% (21/175) with placebo. In MOTIVATE, CDAI clinical remission rate was 42% (22%, 13–31; 80/191) with risankizumab 600 mg and 40% (21%, 12–29; 77/191) with risankizumab 1200 mg versus 20% (37/187) with placebo; stool frequency and abdominal pain score clinical remission rate was 35% (15%, 6–24; 66/191) with risankizumab 600 mg and 40% (20%, 12–29; 76/191) with risankizumab 1200 mg versus 19% (36/187) with placebo; and endoscopic response rate was 29% (18%, 10–25; 55/191) with risankizumab 600 mg and 34% (23%, 15–31; 65/191) with risankizumab 1200 mg versus 11% (21/187) with placebo. The overall incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was similar among the treatment groups in both trials. Three deaths occurred during induction (two in the placebo group [ADVANCE] and one in the risankizumab 1200 mg group [MOTIVATE]). The death in the risankizumab-treated patient was deemed unrelated to the study drug. Interpretation: Risankizumab was effective and well tolerated as induction therapy in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. Funding: AbbVie

Risankizumab as maintenance therapy for moderately to severely active Crohn's disease: results from the multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, withdrawal phase 3 FORTIFY maintenance trial

Background: There is a great unmet need for new therapeutics with novel mechanisms of action for patients with Crohn's disease. The ADVANCE and MOTIVATE studies showed that intravenous risankizumab, a selective p19 anti-interleukin (IL)-23 antibody, was efficacious and well tolerated as induction therapy. Here, we report the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous risankizumab as maintenance therapy. Methods: FORTIFY is a phase 3, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, maintenance withdrawal study across 273 clinical centres in 44 countries across North and South America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region that enrolled participants with clinical response to risankizumab in the ADVANCE or MOTIVATE induction studies. Patients in ADVANCE or MOTIVATE were aged 16–80 years with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. Patients in the FORTIFY substudy 1 were randomly assigned again (1:1:1) to receive either subcutaneous risankizumab 180 mg, subcutaneous risankizumab 360 mg, or withdrawal from risankizumab to receive subcutaneous placebo (herein referred to as withdrawal [subcutaneous placebo]). Treatment was given every 8 weeks. Patients were stratified by induction dose, post-induction endoscopic response, and clinical remission status. Patients, investigators, and study personnel were masked to treatment assignments. Week 52 co-primary endpoints were clinical remission (Crohn's disease activity index [CDAI] in the US protocol, or stool frequency and abdominal pain score in the non-US protocol) and endoscopic response in patients who received at least one dose of study drug during the 52-week maintenance period. Safety was assessed in patients receiving at least one dose of study medication. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03105102. Findings: 712 patients were initially assessed and, between April 9, 2018, and April 24, 2020, 542 patients were randomly assigned to either the risankizumab 180 mg group (n=179), the risankizumab 360 mg group (n=179), or the placebo group (n=184). Greater clinical remission and endoscopic response rates were reached with 360 mg risankizumab versus placebo (CDAI clinical remission was reached in 74 (52%) of 141 patients vs 67 (41%) of 164 patients, adjusted difference 15% [95% CI 5–24]; stool frequency and abdominal pain score clinical remission was reached in 73 (52%) of 141 vs 65 (40%) of 164, adjusted difference 15% [5–25]; endoscopic response 66 (47%) of 141 patients vs 36 (22%) of 164 patients, adjusted difference 28% [19–37]). Higher rates of CDAI clinical remission and endoscopic response (but not stool frequency and abdominal pain score clinical remission [p=0·124]) were also reached with risankizumab 180 mg versus withdrawal (subcutaneous placebo; CDAI clinical remission reached in 87 [55%] of 157 patients, adjusted difference 15% [95% CI 5–24]; endoscopic response 74 [47%] of 157, adjusted difference 26% [17–35]). Results for more stringent endoscopic and composite endpoints and inflammatory biomarkers were consistent with a dose–response relationship. Maintenance treatment was well tolerated. Adverse event rates were similar among groups, and the most frequently reported adverse events in all treatment groups were worsening Crohn's disease, arthralgia, and headache. Interpretation: Subcutaneous risankizumab is a safe and efficacious treatment for maintenance of remission in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and offers a new therapeutic option for a broad range of patients by meeting endpoints that might change the future course of disease. Funding: AbbVie