Patient Preferences for Treatment Attributes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results From a Large Survey Across Seven European Countries Using a Discrete Choice Experiment

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease requires long-term treatment; therefore, understanding patient preferences is important in aiding informed treatment decision making. This study explored patients' preferences for treatment attributes of available inflammatory bowel disease therapies.

METHODS

Adult patients from 7 European countries who self-reported previous/current treatment for Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) participated in an online survey via the Carenity platform. In a discrete choice experiment, the relative importance of treatment attributes for CD and UC was estimated using conditional logit models. Latent class analysis was conducted to estimate heterogeneous treatment preferences based on patient profiles. Patients' perspectives and preferences regarding their quality of life were assessed.

RESULTS

Across 686 completed survey responses (CD, n = 360; UC, n = 326), the mean patient age was 48 and 50 years, respectively. Patients with CD ranked route of administration as the most important attribute (attribute importance: 32%), preferring subcutaneous over intravenous treatment (P < .001). Patients with UC ranked route of administration and frequency of serious adverse events as the most important attributes (attribute importance: 31% and 23%, respectively), preferring oral (P < .001) and subcutaneous (P < .001) over intravenous treatment and treatment that minimized the risk of serious adverse events (P < .001) or mild adverse events (P < .01). Latent class analyses confirmed the impact of patients' sociodemographic profile on their preferences. All patients prioritized general well-being, energy level, and daily activities as the most important aspects for improvement through treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient preferences for treatment attributes varied among patients with CD or UC, highlighting the importance of personalized care and shared decision making to maximize treatment benefits.

Effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab induction with or without budesonide in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease in Europe: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Vedolizumab (VDZ), a gut-selective anti-lymphocyte trafficking integrin antibody, is effective in treating patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (CD). In this study, we examined the real-world effectiveness and safety of induction therapy using VDZ alone or in combination with budesonide (VDZ + BUD) among patients with CD in Belgium, Israel, and Switzerland.

METHODS

This retrospective chart review analysis included adult patients with moderately to severely active CD who started induction treatment with VDZ or VDZ + BUD (January 2015 through January 2019). The primary objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness in terms of clinical remission of VDZ alone or VDZ + BUD using patient-reported outcomes (PRO) of abdominal pain (AP) and/or loose stool frequency (LSF) (PRO-2) at weeks 0, 2, 6, 10, and 14. Regression models were used to assess differences and associations between the treatment groups.

RESULTS

Overall, 123 patients were included (VDZ, n = 73; VDZ + BUD, n = 50). Clinical remission rates at week 14 were 71.4% (50/70) and 68.0% (34/50) with VDZ and VDZ + BUD, respectively. Mean percentage change in AP and LSF from baseline to week 14 was comparable between the groups. Median (95% confidence interval [CI]) time to clinical remission was 91 [70.0-98.0] and 95 [70.0-98.0] days, respectively. One patient in each group discontinued VDZ and 68.0% of patients in the VDZ + BUD group discontinued BUD before week 14. The rates of overall adverse events were similar between the groups (VDZ, 23.3%; VDZ + BUD, 26.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

In this retrospective study, VDZ alone and VDZ + BUD showed similar high remission rates in patients with moderately to severely active CD. Prospective randomized studies are needed to conclude on the role of combining VDZ with BUD.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not applicable.

Impact of Vedolizumab on Extraintestinal Manifestations in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results From a Descriptive, Retrospective, Real-world Study

BACKGROUND

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, may develop extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs). The EMOTIVE study aimed to analyze the effect of vedolizumab on EIMs in a real-world cohort of patients with IBD.

METHODS

This multicenter, descriptive, retrospective study was conducted in Belgium, Denmark, Israel, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in adults with moderately to severely active IBD and concurrent active EIMs at vedolizumab initiation (index date), with a ≥6-month follow-up after the index date. The primary endpoint was resolution of all EIMs within 6 months of vedolizumab initiation.

RESULTS

In 99 eligible patients, the most frequent EIMs were arthralgia (69.7%), peripheral spondyloarthritis (21.2%), and axial spondyloarthritis (10.1%). Within 6 and 12 months of vedolizumab initiation, 19.2% and 25.3% of patients reported resolution of all EIMs, while 36.5% and 49.5% of all EIMs were reported to be improved (combination of resolution and partial response), respectively. Vedolizumab treatment persistence at 12 months was 82.8%. Adverse events were reported in 18.2% of patients, with the most frequent being arthralgia (4.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

This real-world study showed resolution of all EIMs in up to one-fourth of patients with IBD and improvement in up to half of EIMs within 12 months of vedolizumab treatment. Overall, vedolizumab was effective on EIMs in patients with IBD and showed a good safety profile.

Comparative Analysis of the 3-Year Persistence Rate with Second-Line Vedolizumab and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Inhibitors in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Followed in Gastroenterology Practices in Germany

BACKGROUND

Our goal was to investigate the 3-year persistence rates with second-line vedolizumab and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors (i.e., adalimumab, golimumab, infliximab) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who were followed in gastroenterology practices in Germany.

METHODS

This study included patients aged ≥18 years who had received prescriptions for second-line biological drugs in Germany between 2014 and 2017 (n = 5,150) retrieved from the longitudinal prescription database. Vedolizumab users were matched to adalimumab, golimumab, and infliximab users based on age, sex, and index year. The primary outcome of the study was the rate of persistence with vedolizumab compared with the rate of persistence with adalimumab, golimumab, and infliximab within 3 years of second-line therapy initiation in IBD patients. Persistence was estimated as therapy time without discontinuation, with discontinuation being defined as at least 90 days without any prescription for the biological drug of interest.

RESULTS

After matching patients who had received vedolizumab with those who had received adalimumab, the rate of persistence after 3 therapy years was 30.3% for vedolizumab and 27.9% for adalimumab (log-rank p = 0.005). The corresponding figures were 27.8 and 20.8% in the vedolizumab-golimumab matched-pair analysis (log-rank p < 0.001) and 29.5 and 25.2% in the vedolizumab-infliximab matched-pair analysis (log-rank p value = 0.008). Vedolizumab was associated with a significant 0.85-, 0.72-, and 0.86-fold decrease in the risk of discontinuation within 3 years of therapy initiation compared to adalimumab, golimumab, and infliximab, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment persistence was higher for vedolizumab than for TNF-α inhibitors up to 3 years after initiating second-line biological therapy.