Continuing immunomodulators and biologic medications in pregnant IBD patients - pro

Choosing Therapy for Moderate to Severe Crohn's Disease

The availability of approved therapies for Crohn's disease has significantly increased over the past decade. To choose the appropriate therapy for the patient, ideally head to head studies, and data on positioning could help the provider individualize the decision. Due to the paucity of head-to-head trial data, we turn to network meta-analysis and real-world studies to help guide our treatment choices. Ultimately, the best approach is to consider each patient on an individual basis, taking into consideration the characteristics of their disease, individual risk factors, extra-intestinal manifestations, co-morbid conditions, patient age, cost, and personal preferences. In this review, we summarize the evidence comparing biologic as well as small molecule therapies for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease. We have summarized the evidence in relation to factors such as efficacy, fistulizing disease, pregnancy, infection risk, and co-existing conditions.

Tailored anti-TNF therapy during pregnancy in patients with IBD: maternal and fetal safety

OBJECTIVE

Antitumour necrosis factor (TNF) during pregnancy in patients with IBD is related to high fetal anti-TNF levels. We evaluated maternal and child safety on discontinuing anti-TNF in the second trimester of pregnancy.

DESIGN

Two groups of women with IBD were prospectively followed-up during pregnancy: women in sustained remission stopped anti-TNF before week 25 (stop group) and the remaining group continued anti-TNF beyond week 30 (continue group). Maternal, birth and 1-year child outcomes were compared with children of non-IBD women.

RESULTS

Overall, 106 patients with 83 completed pregnancies were included. Relapse rate after week 22 did not differ between the stop (n=51) and continue (n=32) groups (5 (9.8%) versus 5 (15.6%), p=0.14). There was no difference in allergic reactions (p=1.00) or loss of response (p=1.00) postpartum between the two groups. Birth outcomes were comparable. Infants from both groups had lower birth weight (p=0.001), shorter gestational term (p=0.0001), were more often delivered via caesarean section (p=0.0001) and were less often breastfed (p=0.0001) compared with infants from non-IBD controls. Growth, infection rate, allergies, eczema and adverse reactions to vaccines were comparable across the stop and the continue groups as well as the children of anti-TNF-exposed and non-IBD women at 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS

To limit anti-TNF exposure in utero, anti-TNF can be stopped safely in the second trimester in women with IBD in sustained remission. In patients not in sustained remission, anti-TNF may be continued without clear additional risks to the fetus. We observed excellent 1-year child outcomes compared with children from non-IBD controls.

Long-term treatment with infliximab in inflammatory bowel disease: safety and tolerability issues

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis represent the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), clinical conditions affecting the small and/or large bowel. It is well known that IBD is an immune-mediated condition and that TNF-alpha plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of the disease. TNF-alpha has been scrupulously studied as a target for therapeutic intervention in this setting. A number of biologic compounds have been developed, including the European Medicine Agency (EMEA)-approved agents, infliximab and adalimumab. Although their efficacy in induction and maintenance of remission has been established by several clinical trials, many issues regarding safety remain to be elucidated. In fact, anti-TNF treatment may be associated with a number of rare, but serious, adverse events, including infusion reactions, infections, lymphomas and other malignancies. A black-box warning has to be taken into consideration when looking at potential serious infections such as tuberculosis. Active infections, demyelinating disorders and severe heart failure are contraindications for anti-TNF treatment. This review focuses on drug toxicity and adverse events related to infliximab treatment in IBD.