Histologic Outcomes With Vedolizumab Versus Adalimumab in Ulcerative Colitis: Results From An Efficacy and Safety Study of Vedolizumab Intravenous Compared to Adalimumab Subcutaneous in Participants With Ulcerative Colitis (VARSITY)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

VARSITY (An Efficacy and Safety Study of Vedolizumab Intravenous [IV] Compared to Adalimumab Subcutaneous [SC] in Participants With Ulcerative Colitis) showed superior clinical remission and endoscopic improvement in ulcerative colitis with vedolizumab vs adalimumab. This analysis compared histologic outcomes.

METHODS

Patients in VARSITY were randomized 1:1 to maintenance with vedolizumab IV 300 mg every 8 weeks or adalimumab SC 40 mg every 2 weeks (both following standard induction). Geboes Index and Robarts Histopathology Index (RHI) scores were used to assess prespecified histologic exploratory end points of histologic remission (Geboes <2 or RHI ≤2) and minimal histologic disease activity (Geboes ≤3.1 or RHI ≤4) at weeks 14 and 52.

RESULTS

In total, 769 patients received vedolizumab (n = 383) or adalimumab (n = 386). Mean baseline histologic disease activity was similar between vedolizumab and adalimumab groups. Vedolizumab induced greater histologic remission than adalimumab at week 14 (Geboes: 16.7% vs 7.3%, Δ9.4% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 4.9%-13.9%], P < .0001; RHI: 25.6% vs 16.1%, Δ9.5% [95% CI, 3.8%-15.2%], P = .0011) and week 52 (Geboes: 29.2% vs 8.3%, Δ20.9% [95% CI, 15.6%-26.2%], P < .0001; RHI: 37.6% vs 19.9%, Δ17.6% [95% CI, 11.3%-23.8%], P < .0001) overall and in both anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-naïve and -failure subgroups. Results were similar for minimal histologic disease activity. Histologic outcomes were generally better in anti-TNF-naïve vs -failure patients. At week 52, rates of mucosal healing (composite end point of histologic plus endoscopic improvement) were also higher with vedolizumab than adalimumab (Geboes: 25.6% vs 6.7%; RHI: 30.5% vs 14.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher rates of histologic remission, minimal histologic disease activity, and combined histologic plus endoscopic outcomes were observed with vedolizumab than with adalimumab in ulcerative colitis in both anti-TNF-naïve and -failure subgroups.

REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02497469; EudraCT 2015-000939-33.

Endoscopic, Radiologic, and Histologic Healing With Vedolizumab in Patients With Active Crohn's Disease

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Vedolizumab is a gut-selective monoclonal antibody for the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (CD). We performed a prospective study of endoscopic, radiologic, and histologic healing in patients with CD who received vedolizumab therapy.

METHODS

We performed a phase 3b, open-label, single-group study of 101 patients with at least 3 months of active CD (a CD Activity Index [CDAI] score of 220-450, a simple endoscopic score for CD [SES-CD] of 7 or more, 1 or more mucosal ulcerations [identified by endoscopy], and failure of conventional therapy) from March 2015 through December 2017. Among the patients enrolled, 54.5% had previous failure of 1 or more tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists and 44.6% had severe endoscopic disease activity (SES-CD scores above 15) at baseline. Participants received vedolizumab (300 mg intravenously) at weeks 0, 2, and 6, and then every 8 weeks thereafter, for 26 weeks (primary study) or 52 weeks (substudy, 56 patients). The primary endpoint at week 26 was endoscopic remission (SES-CD score of 4 or less); other endpoints included endoscopic response (50% reduction in SES-CD), radiologic remission (magnetic resonance index of activity score below 7), and histologic response (modified global histologic disease activity score of 4 or less).

RESULTS

At week 26, 11.9% of patients were in endoscopic remission (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.3-9.8); at week 52, 17.9% of the patients were in endoscopic remission (95% CI 8.9-30.4). Higher proportions of patients naïve to TNF antagonists achieved endoscopic remission than patients with TNF-antagonist-failure at weeks 26 and 52. Higher proportion of patients with moderate CD (SES-CD scores, 7-15) achieved endoscopic remission at weeks 26 and 52 than patients with severe CD (SES-CD scores above 15). The proportion of patients with complete mucosal healing increased over time, with greater rates of healing in the colon than in the ileum. Remission was detected by magnetic resonance enterography in 21.9% of patients at week 26 (95% CI 9.3-40.0) and in 38.1% at week 52 (95% CI 18.1-61.6). At week 26, 24.4% of patients had a histologic response in the colon (95% CI 15.3-35.4) and 28.3% of patients had a histologic response in the ileum (95% CI 17.5-41.4). At week 52, 20.5% of patients had a histologic response in the colon (95% CI 9.8-35.3) and 34.3% of patients had a histologic response in the ileum (95% CI 19.1-52.2). There were no notable safety issues, including worsening of extraintestinal manifestations.

CONCLUSIONS

In a phase 3b trial, we found that 26 and 52 weeks of treatment with vedolizumab (300 mg, at weeks 0, 2, and 6, and then every 8 weeks thereafter) induces endoscopic, radiologic, and histologic healing in patients with moderately to severely active CD. ClinicalTrials.gov no: NCT02425111.

Vedolizumab versus Adalimumab for Moderate-to-Severe Ulcerative Colitis

BACKGROUND

Biologic therapies are widely used in patients with ulcerative colitis. Head-to-head trials of these therapies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease are lacking.

METHODS

In a phase 3b, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized trial conducted at 245 centers in 34 countries, we compared vedolizumab with adalimumab in adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis to determine whether vedolizumab was superior. Previous exposure to a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor other than adalimumab was allowed in up to 25% of patients. The patients were assigned to receive infusions of 300 mg of vedolizumab on day 1 and at weeks 2, 6, 14, 22, 30, 38, and 46 (plus injections of placebo) or subcutaneous injections of 40 mg of adalimumab, with a total dose of 160 mg at week 1, 80 mg at week 2, and 40 mg every 2 weeks thereafter until week 50 (plus infusions of placebo). Dose escalation was not permitted in either group. The primary outcome was clinical remission at week 52 (defined as a total score of ≤2 on the Mayo scale [range, 0 to 12, with higher scores indicating more severe disease] and no subscore >1 [range, 0 to 3] on any of the four Mayo scale components). To control for type I error, efficacy outcomes were analyzed with a hierarchical testing procedure, with the variables in the following order: clinical remission, endoscopic improvement (subscore of 0 to 1 on the Mayo endoscopic component), and corticosteroid-free remission at week 52.

RESULTS

A total of 769 patients underwent randomization and received at least one dose of vedolizumab (383 patients) or adalimumab (386 patients). At week 52, clinical remission was observed in a higher percentage of patients in the vedolizumab group than in the adalimumab group (31.3% vs. 22.5%; difference, 8.8 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5 to 15.0; P = 0.006), as was endoscopic improvement (39.7% vs. 27.7%; difference, 11.9 percentage points; 95% CI, 5.3 to 18.5; P<0.001). Corticosteroid-free clinical remission occurred in 12.6% of the patients in the vedolizumab group and in 21.8% in the adalimumab group (difference, -9.3 percentage points; 95% CI, -18.9 to 0.4). Exposure-adjusted incidence rates of infection were 23.4 and 34.6 events per 100 patient-years with vedolizumab and adalimumab, respectively, and the corresponding rates for serious infection were 1.6 and 2.2 events per 100 patient-years.

CONCLUSIONS

In this trial involving patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis, vedolizumab was superior to adalimumab with respect to achievement of clinical remission and endoscopic improvement, but not corticosteroid-free clinical remission. (Funded by Takeda; VARSITY ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02497469; EudraCT number, 2015-000939-33.).

Long-term clinical outcomes in cirrhotic chronic hepatitis B patients treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for up to 5 years

Background

Phase 3 clinical studies have shown that long-term treatment with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) can suppress hepatitis B viral load and promote significant fibrosis regression and cirrhosis reversal in a majority of treated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. This retrospective analysis investigated the impact of baseline cirrhosis status on virologic, serologic, and histologic outcomes in patients treated with TDF.

Methods

Patients enrolled in studies GS-US-174-0102 and GS-US-174-0103 who had baseline liver biopsy–diagnosed cirrhosis and entered the open-label phase of the studies were included in the virologic and serologic analyses. Patients (both HBeAg positive and negative) with paired liver biopsies at baseline and 5 years (N = 348) were included in a histologic analysis.

Results

After 5 years on study, comparing patients with and without baseline cirrhosis, respectively: 99.2 and 98.0 % achieved virologic response (hepatitis B viral load < 69 IU/ml) (p = 0.686); 79.7 and 81.9 % had normal serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (p = 0.586); 4.0 and 1.2 % developed hepatocellular carcinoma (p = 0.044). In HBeAg-positive patients with and without baseline cirrhosis, HBsAg loss occurred in 14.4 and 8.3 % of patients, respectively (p = 0.188). One HBeAg-negative patient had HBsAg loss.

Conclusions

This represents the largest analyses to date of CHB patients with sequential liver biopsies demonstrating that treatment with TDF for up to 5 years is associated with favorable virologic, serologic, and histologic outcomes, regardless of baseline cirrhosis status. Notably, histologic improvement was observed in the majority of cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients.

Regression of cirrhosis during treatment with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for chronic hepatitis B: a 5-year open-label follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Whether long-term suppression of replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) has any beneficial effect on regression of advanced liver fibrosis associated with chronic HBV infection remains unclear. We aimed to assess the effects on fibrosis and cirrhosis of at least 5 years' treatment with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (DF) in chronic HBV infection.

METHODS

After 48 weeks of randomised double-blind comparison (trials NCT00117676 and NCT00116805) of tenofovir DF with adefovir dipivoxil, participants (positive or negative for HBeAg) were eligible to enter a 7-year study of open-label tenofovir DF treatment, with a pre-specified repeat liver biopsy at week 240. We assessed histological improvement (≥2 point reduction in Knodell necroinflammatory score with no worsening of fibrosis) and regression of fibrosis (≥1 unit decrease by Ishak scoring system).

FINDINGS

Of 641 patients who received randomised treatment, 585 (91%) entered the open-label phase, and 489 (76%) completed 240 weeks. 348 patients (54%) had biopsy results at both baseline and week 240. 304 (87%) of the 348 had histological improvement, and 176 (51%) had regression of fibrosis at week 240 (p<0·0001). Of the 96 (28%) patients with cirrhosis (Ishak score 5 or 6) at baseline, 71 (74%) no longer had cirrhosis (≥1 unit decrease in score), whereas three of 252 patients without cirrhosis at baseline progressed to cirrhosis at year 5 (p<0·0001). Virological breakthrough occurred infrequently and was not due to resistance to tenofovir DF. The safety profile was favourable: 91 (16%) patients had adverse events but only nine patients had serious events related to the study drug.

INTERPRETATION

In patients with chronic HBV infection, up to 5 years of treatment with tenofovir DF was safe and effective. Long-term suppression of HBV can lead to regression of fibrosis and cirrhosis.

FUNDING

Gilead Sciences.

Clinical trial: asimadoline in the treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome

BACKGROUND

In models of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), asimadoline, a kappa-opioid agonist, improves pain and abnormal bowel function.

AIM

To evaluate the effects of three doses of asimadoline and placebo in subjects with IBS through a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

METHODS

Patients were randomly assigned to receive asimadoline 0.15, 0.5, 1.0 mg or placebo BID for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy measure was number of months of adequate relief of IBS pain or discomfort, with a prospective plan to evaluate adequate relief data by entry baseline pain and subtype. Several other endpoints were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Five hundred and ninety-six patients were randomized. In the ITT population, statistically significant improvement on the primary endpoint was not seen. However, in diarrhoea-predominant IBS patients with at least baseline moderate pain, asimadoline (0.5 mg) produced significant improvement on total number of months with adequate relief of IBS pain or discomfort (46.7% vs. 20.0%), adequate relief of IBS symptoms (46.7% vs. 23.0%), pain scores (week 12: -1.6 vs. -0.7), pain free days (42.9% vs. 18.0%), urgency and stool frequency (-2.3 vs. -0.3). In patients with alternating IBS, significant improvement was seen on adequate relief endpoints. Asimadoline was well tolerated.

CONCLUSION

Asimadoline warrants further evaluation as a treatment for IBS.

Nonoperative imaging techniques in suspected biliary tract obstruction

Evaluation of suspected biliary tract obstruction is a common clinical problem. Clinical data such as history, physical examination, and laboratory tests can accurately identify up to 90% of patients whose jaundice is caused by extrahepatic obstruction. However, complete assessment of extrahepatic obstruction often requires the use of various imaging modalities to confirm the presence, level, and cause of obstruction, and to aid in treatment plan. In the present summary, the literature on competing technologies including endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiopancreatography (PTC), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), helical CT (hCT) and helical CT cholangiography (hCTC) with regards to diagnostic performance characteristics, technical success, safety, and cost-effectiveness is reviewed. Patients with obstructive jaundice secondary to choledocholithiasis or pancreaticobiliary malignancies are the primary focus of this review. Algorithms for the management of suspected obstructive jaundice are put forward based on current evidence. Published data suggest an increasing role for EUS and other noninvasive imaging techniques such as MRCP, and hCT following an initial transabdominal ultrasound in the assessment of patients with suspected biliary obstruction to select candidates for surgery or therapeutic ERCP. The management of patients with a suspected pancreaticobiliary condition ultimately is dependent on local expertise, availability, cost, and the multidisciplinary collaboration between radiologists, surgeons, and gastroenterologists.

Peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in blacks and non-Hispanic whites

BACKGROUND

Several small studies have reported a lower response rate to interferon alfa among black patients with chronic hepatitis C infection than among white patients. The increased prevalence of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, which has a lower response rate than other genotypes, has been suggested as the cause.

METHODS

We treated 100 black patients and 100 non-Hispanic white patients with chronic hepatitis C with peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for 48 weeks. Enrollment was controlled so that the two groups had similar proportions of patients with genotype 1 infection. The primary end point was a sustained virologic response, which was defined as a negative test for serum HCV RNA six months after the completion of therapy.

RESULTS

In both cohorts, 98 percent of patients had genotype 1 infection. The rate of sustained virologic response was higher among non-Hispanic white patients than among black patients (52 percent vs.19 percent, P<0.001). The black patients also had significantly lower rates of virologic response at 12 weeks and at the end of treatment. Multivariable analyses examining sociodemographic and clinical characteristics found that black race was the only variable significantly associated with the difference in response rate.

CONCLUSIONS

Black patients with chronic hepatitis C have a lower rate of response to treatment with peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin than non-Hispanic white patients, a difference that is not explained by differences in the viral genotype.

De-novo cholangiocarcinoma in the setting of recurrent primary sclerosing cholangitis following liver transplant

Orthotopic liver transplantation is the only definitive therapeutic option in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and end-stage liver disease. However, PSC recurs in up to 20% of patients transplanted for this indication. To date, no patient has been reported to develop cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) post-transplant, without biliary tract cancer having been present pretransplant. Here, we report recurrent PSC complicated by de-novo CCA in a 31-year-old man transplanted for PSC 8 years earlier. Cholangiocarcinoma was confirmed using a combination of computed tomography, cholangiography, positron emission tomography and histological examination of biliary cytology. He has since been successfully re-transplanted following preoperative chemo-radiotherapy. No viable tumor was identified in the explanted liver. This case establishes that long-term complications associated with PSC and biliary-enteric surgery such as CCA may become apparent in new grafts post-transplant.

Cystic fibrosis mutations and genetic predisposition to idiopathic chronic pancreatitis

Idiopathic chronic pancreatitis is a leading cause of chronic pancreatitis. Work from this and other groups has shown that idiopathic chronic pancreatitis is associated with mutations of the cystic fibrosis gene (CFTR). Many idiopathic pancreatitis patients have compound heterozygote genotypes in which both copies of the CFTR gene are abnormal. In these patients, the pancreatic disease can be viewed as a mild variant of cystic fibrosis, in which there is sufficient residual CFTR function to prevent lung disease. This article summarizes the evidence associating these abnormal CFTR genotypes with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis and reviews the implications of this association for the pathogenesis, classification, and prevention of pancreatitis.

Cystic fibrosis in the pancreas: recent advances provide new insights

Idiopathic chronic pancreatitis accounts for up to one third of chronic pancreatitis cases. The most common inherited disease of the exocrine pancreas is cystic fibrosis, which is caused by mutations of a gene encoding an ion transport protein. It was discovered during the past year that many patients with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis have mutations of the gene that causes cystic fibrosis. This article reviews the evidence associating mutations of this gene with chronic pancreatitis and discusses the implications of this association for the evaluation, pathogenesis, classification, and possible prevention of pancreatitis.