Takeaway
- The persistence rates of antitumour necrosis factor agents golimumab and adalimumab as first-line or second-line biologic therapy for ulcerative colitis (UC) were above 64.0% at 12 months following treatment initiation.
- In addition, the 1-year colectomy-free survival was relatively similar between the 2 treatments.
Why this matters
- Awareness of the persistence levels observed with adalimumab and golimumab will support appropriate monitoring of patients with UC and better-informed decisions by physicians, with the potential for dose escalation or treatment switching.
Study design
- This retrospective chart review analysis included 183 adult patients with UC who initiated treatment with golimumab (n=87) or adalimumab (n=96) between 2016 and 2017 using data from 16 National Health Service (NHS) sites in the UK.
- Primary outcome: treatment persistence rate; secondary outcomes: colectomy-free survival and treatment switching.
- Funding: None disclosed.
Key results
- At 12 months following treatment initiation, the persistence rates were 64.6% for adalimumab and 64.4% for golimumab (P=.681).
- Overall, 37 (20.2%) patients switched to other therapy within 1 year; 15 (8.2%) patients receiving golimumab switched to another biologic compared with 22 (12%) patients receiving adalimumab.
- Of patients prescribed adalimumab, 14 (14.6%) had ≥1 dose adjustment and the majority (85.7%) had dose escalations.
- Overall, 15 (8.2%) patients underwent colectomy within 12 months following initiation of golimumab or adalimumab, with no significant difference in colectomy-free survival by treatments (P=.735).
Limitations
- Retrospective design.
This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.
