Biological agents could prevent Crohn's disease recurrence

Washington, August 06 (ANI): Two new studies have found that biological agents may play an important role in maintaining remission in Crohn's disease.

Doctors performed a prospective cohort study in 12 consecutive patients treated immediately after surgery with standard maintenance infliximab (5 mg/kg body weight every eight weeks) who did not have evidence of disease recurrence after 36 months.

Treatment with infliximab was then discontinued.

Patients with disease recurrence (i.e., with intestinal inflammation) were then given lower doses of infliximab in an attempt to re-establish the integrity of the intestinal mucosa, which helps ensure an adequate supply of nutrients.

The study authors showed that infliximab administration immediately after surgery effectively prevents recurrence of the disease (no intestinal inflammation and no symptoms) at three years.

However, upon suspension of the medication, intestinal inflammation appears after four months in the large majority of patients (83 percent), thus indicating the need for long-term uninterrupted maintenance therapy.

Nevertheless, a 40 percent reduction from the standard dose of 5 mg/kg (i.e., a dose of 3 mg/kg) was sufficient to re-establish the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and avoid disease recurrence in all patients at one year.

In a second study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, doctors found that certolizumab pegol - another type of biologic therapy - effectively maintains remission of Crohn's disease for up to 18 months. In addition, continuous therapy is more effective than interrupted therapy. Certolizumab pegol is known by the brand name Cimzia.

Subcutaneous certolizumab pegol administered every four weeks is an effective and well-tolerated, long-term maintenance therapy for patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease.

Continuous maintenance therapy with certolizumab pegol is more likely to produce response and remission than interrupted therapy, without negatively impacting patient safety.

Doctors assessed the long-term effectiveness, safety and immunogenicity (ability to create an immune response) of five continuous versus interrupted maintenance therapy with subcutaneous certolizumab pegol in patients with Crohn's disease.

Responses at week 26 for the continuous and drug-interruption groups were 56.3 percent and 37.6 percent, respectively. Corresponding remission rates were 47.9 percent and 32.4 percent, respectively.

Of patients responding at week 26, response rates at week 80 in the continuous and drug-interruption groups were 66.1 percent and 63.3 percent, respectively. Among patients in remission at week 26, week 80 remission rates were 62.1 percent and 63.2 percent, respectively.

More patients in the drug-interruption group developed antibodies against certolizumab pegol and had lower plasma concentrations of certolizumab pegol than the continuously treated group.

The study has been published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. (ANI)