REAL-WORLD SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF USTEKINUMAB AND VEDOLIZUMAB IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
Authors: Hsu Diane , Lee Justin , Kotzen Alison , Bensen Rachel , Goyal Alka 
Published: January 2024

CONTEXT/PURPOSE

Ustekinumab and vedolizumab are approved biologicals to treat adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but currently administered off-label for children. Aims: (1) assess safety and adverse events during treatment with ustekinumab or vedolizumab in pediatric IBD and (2) assess steroid free clinical remission and mucosal healing at 6 months and 1 year.

METHODS

Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients (&lt;22 years) with IBD treated at an academic hospital and two affiliated practices. Inclusion: Patients with IBD who received either ustekinumab or vedolizumab between January 2015 to June 2022 with minimum of 6 months follow up. Clinical remission assessed by Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI) &lt; 10 and short Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (shPCDAI) &lt;15, and mucosal healing by fecal calprotectin &lt;250 mcg/gram.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight patients received vedolizumab and 55 patients received ustekinumab.

Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD unclassified (IBDU) on vedolizumab were more likely to be in remission at 6 months (58% vs. 42%, p = 0.3, Table 1) and significantly higher at achieving 1-year steroid free remission (64% vs. 27%, p = 0.019) compared to ustekinumab. Over two thirds of biologic naïve and about half of biologic exposed patients who received vedolizumab achieved 1-year steroid free remission (78% vs. 58%, Figure 1). All patients who received ustekinumab were biologic exposed.

In Crohn’s disease (CD), no significant difference was seen in children receiving vedolizumab compared to ustekinumab at 6 months remission (57% vs. 63%, p = 0.7) or 1-year steroid free remission (70% vs. 70%, p &gt;0.9). All biologic naïve patients and half of biologic exposed patients who received vedolizumab achieved 1 year steroid free remission. Both bionaive and two thirds of biologic exposed patients who received ustekinumab achieved 1-year steroid free remission (100% vs. 67%).

When comparing vedolizumab and ustekinumab, no significant difference was observed in 6 month remission (73% vs. 59%, p = 0.2) and 1-year steroid free remission based on calprotectin (61% vs. 66%, p = 0.7). Similar to clinical remission rates, biologic naïve patients tended to have higher remission rates based on calprotectin. Five patients each had minor adverse events with ustekinumab and vedolizumab, and 20 were hospitalized mostly for IBD flare.

CONCLUSION

Both biologicals were safe and effective in achieving clinical remission at 6 months and 1 year. They were more effective when used in bionaive patients, although numbers were very low for ustekinumab. The superior efficacy of vedolizumab in UC and IBDU at 1-year may be attributed to larger cohort of bionaive patients. Larger multicenter prospective studies are needed to validate these findings regarding efficacy and safety of vedolizumab and ustekinumab in pediatric IBD.

Table 1 Remission on Vedolizumab and Ustekinumab

Figure 1 Remission on Vedolizumab vs. Ustekinumab Stratified by Biologic Exposure