Takeaway
- Patients with moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis (UC) can achieve clinical remission when treated with the oral Janus kinase inhibitor tofacitinib after not responding to treatment with anti-TNF agents or vedolizumab.
Why this matters
- These findings affirm phase 3 trial results demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib, but in a real-world setting.
Study design
- Researchers studied consecutive patients with active UC treated with tofacitinib (N=38; women, 39%; median age, 41 [range, 28-52] years; median follow-up, 41.5 weeks) after unsuccessful treatment with anti-TNF agents or vedolizumab.
- Study outcomes included survival without colectomy, survival without tofacitinib discontinuation, and steroid-free clinical remission and clinical response at weeks 14, 24, and 48.
- Funding: None disclosed.
Key results
- 77.1% (95% CI, 59.3%-87.9%) of patients achieved survival without colectomy at week 24 and 70% (95% CI, 50.9%-82.8%) at week 48.
- 70.2% (95% CI, 52.6%-82.3%) of patients achieved survival without treatment discontinuation at week 24.
- 34.2% of patients achieved steroid-free clinical remission at week 48.
- Adverse events occurred in 37% of patients, including 6 severe adverse events and 3 herpes zoster infections.
Limitations
- The study was retrospective, with a small sample size.
References
References