Real-World Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Filgotinib and Upadacitinib for Ulcerative Colitis: A Multicentre Cohort Study.

Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, filgotinib (FIL) and upadacitinib (UPA) have emerged as promising treatments for ulcerative colitis (UC). However, a comparative analysis of these JAK inhibitors, particularly in patients previously treated with tofacitinib (TOF), has not been performed. To compare the efficacy and safety of FIL and UPA in patients with UC, including those previously exposed to TOF. A multicentre retrospective cohort study was conducted to compare the effectiveness and safety of FIL and UPA in patients with UC whose treatment was initiated between March 2022 and December 2023. The co-primary outcomes were clinical response and remission at week 8. The secondary outcomes included treatment persistence and adverse events (AEs). Modified Poisson and Cox regression models with multivariable analysis to adjust for confounders and propensity score matching were conducted. Subgroup analyses stratified by previous exposure to TOF and biologics were also conducted. In total, 168 patients (98 treated with FIL and 70 treated with UPA) were enrolled in this study, with a median follow-up period of 181 days. The clinical response/remission rates at week 8 were 55.1/46.9% for FIL and 71.4/65.7% for UPA, respectively. UPA was associated with significantly higher rates of clinical response (adjusted risk ratio [RR] 1.40 [95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 1.80]) and clinical remission (adjusted RR 1.54 [95% CI, 1.16 to 2.05]) compared with FIL. This result was consistent across subgroup analyses based on previous exposure to TOF or biologics, except for bio-naive patients. There was no significant difference in the treatment persistence. AEs were more frequent with UPA (45.7%) than with FIL (24.5%) (p = 0.0049). Propensity score matching confirmed the superior overall effectiveness of UPA. UPA demonstrated better short-term effectiveness than FIL, with a higher incidence of AEs.

Nogami A ，Asonuma K ，Okabayashi S ，Ikenouchi M ，Matsuda T ，Shinzaki S ，Fukata M ，Kobayashi T ... -  《-》

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Three Janus Kinase Inhibitors in Ulcerative Colitis: A Real-World Multicentre Study in Japan.

Three Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are approved for ulcerative colitis (UC) in Japan. To compare the real-world efficacy and safety of these three JAK inhibitors in UC. This was a multicentre, retrospective study of patients with UC started on JAK inhibitors. The primary outcome was clinical remission at 10, 26 and 58 weeks, and at the most recent follow-up. To compare the efficacy and safety among the JAK inhibitors, we created three matched cohorts (upadacitinib vs. filgotinib, tofacitinib vs. filgotinib and upadacitinib vs. tofacitinib) using propensity score matching. We identified 228 upadacitinib-treated patients (median follow-up 49 weeks; IQR 25-72), 215 filgotinib-treated patients (follow-up 56 weeks; IQR 17-82) and 159 tofacitinib-treated patients (follow-up 112 weeks; IQR 10-258). Clinical remission rates for upadacitinib, filgotinib and tofacitinib at the most recent follow-up were 72.8%, 50.6% and 45.8%, respectively. Over 70% of the patients previously treated with other biologics or JAK inhibitors achieved clinical remission with upadacitinib. On multivariate analysis, the number of previous advanced therapies was inversely associated with the efficacy of filgotinib and tofacitinib. Comparative analysis showed that upadacitinib-treated patients had higher efficacy and lower risk of discontinuation than patients treated with other JAK inhibitors. However, upadacitinib had a significant risk of acne. Considering the particularly high efficacy of upadacitinib, even in patients with refractory UC, filgotinib or tofacitinib may be considered as an upfront JAK inhibitor before using upadacitinib.

Akiyama S ，Shimizu H ，Tamura A ，Yokoyama K ，Sakurai T ，Kobayashi M ，Eizuka M ，Yanai S ，Nomura K ，Shibuya T ，Takahara M ，Hiraoka S ，Sako M ，Yoshida A ，Tsuruta K ，Yoshioka S ，Koroku M ，Omori T ，Saruta M ，Matsumoto T ，Okamoto R ，Tsuchiya K ，Fujii T ... -  《-》

Propensity score-matched real-world comparative treatment outcomes of Janus kinase inhibitors for ulcerative colitis in patients with and without prior exposure to anti-tumor necrosis factor α antibody.

Ikenouchi M ，Fukui H ，Yagi S ，Nogami A ，Kaku K ，Sato T ，Kawai M ，Kamikozuru K ，Yokoyama Y ，Takagawa T ，Tomita T ，Kobayashi T ，Shinzaki S ... -  《-》

Efficacy and safety of upadacitinib maintenance therapy for moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in patients responding to 8 week induction therapy (U-ACHIEVE Maintenance): overall results from the randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind,

Upadacitinib is an oral, selective, and reversible JAK inhibitor with demonstrated efficacy in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in a phase 2b induction trial, two phase 3 induction trials (U-ACHIEVE Induction and U-ACCOMPLISH), and a primary analysis of the first 451 patients entering a subsequent maintenance trial (U-ACHIEVE Maintenance). Here, we present overall results from the entire U-ACHIEVE Maintenance population. In this randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 3 maintenance study done across Europe, North and South America, Australasia, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region at 251 clinical centres in 44 countries, patients aged 16-75 years with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (adapted Mayo score 5-9, centrally assessed endoscopic subscore of 2 or 3) for 90 days or more were randomly assigned (2:1) to double-blind upadacitinib 45 mg once daily or placebo induction therapy in the phase 2b induction trial or two phase 3 induction trials. Patients with a clinical response per adapted Mayo score after 8 weeks were randomly reassigned (1:1:1) using web-based interactive response technology to 52 week double-blind maintenance therapy with placebo, upadacitinib 15 mg, or upadacitinib 30 mg once daily. Efficacy was analysed at week 52 in the intention-to-treat population, which included all patients randomly reassigned who received at least one dose of study drug. The primary endpoint was clinical remission per adapted Mayo score. Safety through week 52 was assessed with exposure-adjusted event rates (EAERs; events per 100 patient-years) in upadacitinib 45 mg once daily 8-week induction responders who were enrolled per protocol for 44-week or 52-week maintenance therapy (ie, the intention-to-treat population plus patients who received up to 44 weeks' maintenance therapy under earlier protocol amendments) and received at least one dose of study drug. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02819635 and is complete. Between Sept 3, 2016, and Jan 14, 2021 987 patients received the upadacitinib 45 mg once daily induction therapy in the phase 2b trial, U-ACHIEVE Induction, or U-ACCOMPLISH. 681 patients with a clinical response to the induction therapy (319 from U-ACHIEVE Induction, 341 from U-ACCOMPLISH, and 21 from the phase 2b induction trial) received placebo (n=223), upadacitinib 15 mg once daily (n=225), or upadacitinib 30 mg once daily (n=233) in U-ACHIEVE Maintenance and were included in this analysis. A greater proportion of patients achieved the primary endpoint with upadacitinib 15 mg (40·4%) and 30 mg once daily (53·6%) versus placebo (10·8%; both p<0·0001 vs placebo). For safety, 746 patients were analysed, representing 552·9 patient-years of exposure; the most common grade 3-4 treatment-emergent adverse events were worsening of ulcerative colitis in nine (4%) patients with placebo, and COVID-19 pneumonia and cryptococcal pneumonia in two (1%) patients each with upadacitinib 30 mg once daily. Higher EAERs of the following treatment-emergent events of special interest were observed with upadacitinib versus placebo: herpes zoster (6·0 events per 100 patient-years with upadacitinib 15 mg once daily and 7·3 events per 100 patient-years with upadacitinib 30 mg once daily vs none per 100 patient-years with placebo [12 and 16 vs no events, respectively), hepatic disorders (17·0 and 9·2 vs 5·9 events per 100 patient-years [34 and 20 vs eight events, respectively), creatine phosphokinase elevation (8·0 and 10·1 vs 3·7 events per 100 patient-years [16 and 22 vs five events], respectively), and neutropenia (5·5 and 8·7 vs 5·2 events per 100 patient-years [11 and 19 vs seven events], respectively). One (<1% of patients) adjudicated major adverse cardiovascular event occurred with placebo and one (<1% of patients) with upadacitinib 30 mg once daily (EAERs 0·7 and 0·5 events per 100 patient-years, respectively). Two (1% of patients) venous thromboembolic events occurred with upadacitinib 15 mg once daily and two (1% of patients) with upadacitinib 30 mg once daily (EAERs 1·0 and 0·9 events per 100 patient-years, respectively). All adjudicated major adverse cardiovascular events and venous thromboembolic events with upadacitinib occurred in patients with relevant known risk factors. Consistent with the primary analysis done among a smaller population, both maintenance doses of upadacitinib showed a positive benefit-risk profile in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Upadacitinib represents an effective treatment option for this population, for whom a large unmet need persists. AbbVie.

Vermeire S ，Danese S ，Zhou W ，Ilo D ，Klaff J ，Levy G ，Yao X ，Chen S ，Sanchez Gonzalez Y ，Hébuterne X ，Lindsay JO ，Higgins PDR ，Cao Q ，Nakase H ，Colombel JF ，Loftus EV Jr ，Panaccione R ... -  《The Lancet Gastroenterology &amp; Hepatology》

Safety and effectiveness of tofacitinib in Korean adult patients with ulcerative colitis: post-marketing surveillance study.

Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). We aimed to identify the safety and effectiveness of tofacitinib in patients with UC in routine clinical settings in Korea. This open-label, observational, prospective, post-marketing surveillance study was conducted at 22 hospitals in the Republic of Korea. Patients with moderate to severe active UC who received tofacitinib were included and followed up for up to 52 weeks. Tofacitinib was administered at a dosage of 10 mg twice daily for at least 8 weeks, followed by 5 or 10 mg twice daily at the investigator's discretion based on clinical evaluation according to the approved Korean label. Safety including adverse events (AEs) and effectiveness including clinical remission, clinical response, and endoscopic mucosal healing were evaluated. Safety analysis set was defined as all patients registered for this study who received at least one dose of tofacitinib according to the approved Korean label and followed up for safety data. Effectiveness analysis set included patients in the safety analysis set who were evaluated for overall effectiveness assessment and excluded patients who had received tofacitinib less than 8 weeks. A total of 110 patients were enrolled, of whom 106 patients were included in the safety population. The median duration of treatment was 370 days and the treatment duration ranged from 16 to 684 days for the safety population. AEs occurred in 42 patients (39.6%). Serious AEs (SAEs) occurred in 7 patients (6.6%) and of them, there were 2 cases of serious infections. These serious infections were reported as Adverse Event of Special Interest (AESI) in this study and no other AESI were reported. There were no cases of death during the study period. Clinical remission rates were 40.0%, 46.7%, 57.6%, and 55.1% at 8, 16, 24, and 52 weeks, and clinical response rates were 77.8%, 87.9%, 56.6%, and 81.4% at each visit, respectively. Endoscopic mucosal healing rates were 58.7% at 16 weeks and 46.2% at 52 weeks. Tofacitinib was effective in Korean patients with moderate to severe active UC and the safety findings were consistent with the known safety profile of tofacitinib. This study confirmed the safety and effectiveness of tofacitinib in Korean patients with moderate to severe active UC in routine clinical settings. This study is registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier NCT04071405, registered on 28 August 2019.

Yoon H ，Ye BD ，Kang SB ，Lee KM ，Choi CH ，Jo JY ，Woo J ，Cheon JH ... -  《BMC GASTROENTEROLOGY》