Gastroenterology
Results of a recent survey demonstrate that Asian physicians are less confident in using biosimilars than their European peers are.
In many regulatory territories, patients with Crohn disease (CD) who lose response to adalimumab at a dose of 40 mg given every other week may be given an escalation to 40 mg every week. However, in Japan, where adalimumab is typically administered by a healthcare provider rather than by the patient, a study investigated the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics (PK) of adalimumab after a dose escalation to 80 mg every other week as a means to reduce the need for additional patient appointments.
During the 83rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, researchers from the United Kingdom reported on yet another large, nonmedical switch from reference infliximab to biosimilar CT-P13 (Inflectra, Remsima), this time in the Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust.
Results of a small Greek observational study suggest that biosimilar infliximab may be an effective alternative for the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who have active disease and experienced a loss of response to innovator infliximab (Remicade).
When treating any disease, adherence is key. Specifically, however, in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), adhering to biologic therapy is critical in the management of these diseases, as previous research has demonstrated that a medication possession ratio (MPR) of less than 0.86 significantly increases the risk of disease flare.
Early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can have a more aggressive course than later-onset disease, making prompt treatment for children with IBD especially important. Given the high cost of biologics that treat pediatric IBD—adalimumab and infliximab—biosimilars are emerging as an important cost-saving option that can prevent the premature termination of biologic therapy for financial reasons.
As more biosimilars make their way to patients in the United States and Europe, stakeholders seek reassurance on switching to these products. A newly published systematic review sought to investigate the safety and efficacy of switching between reference and biosimilar infliximab in patients with inflammatory disorders.
While real-world data, such as those derived from the NOR-SWITCH study, have been reassuring about the feasibility of switching patients with inflammatory diseases from reference infliximab (Remicade) to biosimilar CT-P13 (sold as Inflectra and Remsima), some ambiguous data in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have raised questions among clinicians about switching in the indications of Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis.
Fraser Cummings, MBChB, DPhil, led one of the first clinical teams to switch patients receiving the reference infliximab (Remicade) to CT-P13 (Remsima) in UK clinical practice. During the SMi 9th annual conference on Biosimilars and Biobetters, held September 26-27 in London, United Kingdom, Cummings explained his experience with this switch in his gastroenterology clinic, and looked ahead to the arrival of adalimumab biosimilars in the National Health Service (NHS).
Up to 60% of Crohn disease patients taking an anti—tumor necrosis factor (TNF) monoclonal antibody medication eventually stop responding to treatment, but the optimal management of these patients has not been clearly defined.
