P601 Real World Evidence on the comparative effectiveness of Ustekinumab vs anti-TNF in Crohn’s disease with Propensity Score adjustment: maintenance phase results from the prospective observational RUN-CD study
Authors: Bokemeyer B , Plachta-Danielzik S , di Giuseppe R , Deppe H , Mohl W , Teich N , Hoffstadt M , Schweitzer A , von der Ohe M , Gauss A , Atrya R , Krause T , Blumenstein I , Höchstödter J , Hartmann P , Schreiber S 
Published: January 2022

Abstract

Background
Observational real world studies are required in addition to RCTs which typically represent selected patients not reflecting everyday clinical practice. Between 2017–2020 patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) receiving a newly initiated biologics therapy were consecutively enrolled into the prospective, observational RUN-CD registry from 44 IBD-experienced German centres to assess effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab (UST) with a 3 years follow-up. Here, the results on the effectiveness of the maintenance therapy over 12 months are presented as a real world evidence (RWE) comparison of UST vs anti-TNF.

Methods
After exclusion of other biologics than UST and anti-TNF and missing outcomes, the final sample consisted of 607 CD-patients. Clinical remission (HBI ≤ 4) was the predefined endpoint at month 12. Patients were analyzed on a modified intent-to-treat basis (mITT; switchers considered as outcome failure). To reduce the effect of confounders, propensity score (PS) adjustment with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was implemented. A weighted logistic regression was used, and the results were reported as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results
343 UST (naïve: 35) and 264 anti-TNF (naïve: 175) (ADA 61%, IFX 39%) CD-patients were included. PS removed systematic differences between both groups (mean of both groups: 15% perianal disease, 36% surgical resection, 41% EIM). Overall, the number of switches was lower in the UST group than in the anti-TNF group (Tab. 1). However, the number of switches within 12 months was significantly lower in the UST group only when compared to the IFX group (16.3% vs 27.2%; p=0.045) (Fig. 1). Clinical remission rates at 1 year (Tab. 2) were not statistically different for the overall UST vs. anti-TNF groups (65.8% vs 60.0%). Remission rates were similar for UST vs ADA, while these were significantly higher for UST vs. IFX (61.6% vs 41.8%; p=0.009). Looking at clinical remission in the week 16 responder group (Tab. 3), a statistically significantly higher remission rate was found in the overall group for UST (77.6%) vs anti-TNF (65.4%) (p=0.041), which was mainly driven by the higher UST remission rate in biologic-naïve CD patients (p=0.026).

Conclusion
This 1-year maintenance phase RWE-comparison with UST vs anti-TNF showed remarkably high clinical remission rates in both groups. Also due to a more frequent switching within the IFX group, the clinical remission rate at 1 year was significantly higher with UST than with IFX and higher with UST vs anti-TNF in the biologic-naïve groups. These results support together with the known favorable safety profile consideration of UST as a first-line targeted therapy for CD.