P663 Efficacy of tofacitinib in patients with ulcerative colitis after previous ineffective biological therapies
Abstract Background Tofacitinib (TFC) is an oral, small-molecule Janus kinase inhibitor, which was recently approved for moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of the current real-life study was to determine efficacy of TFC induction therapy regarding the clinical response and remission in patients with active UC. We evaluated short-term efficacy data in a Hungarian cohort with prior exposure to other biological agents such as anti-TNF drugs and vedolizumab. Methods In this single-centre retrospective study, patients with TFC introduction were included. Since January 2019, a total of 16 patients received an oral TFC induction therapy in a dose of 10 mg twice daily for 8 weeks. Endoscopic activity was evaluated by endoscopic Mayo (eMayo) score before the introduction of TFC and in case of an inadequate therapeutic response to the 5-mg-therapy to confirm therapeutic decision-making. Based on the evaluation of clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters, we either kept the dosage or reduced the dose to 5 mg according to local regulations. We also collected data from the 16. and 24. weeks of the therapy. Primary endpoints were a clinical response (as a reduction in partial Mayo Score [pMayo] by minimum 3 points) or remission (as a Mayo score of the maximum of 2 points and without blood in stool) at week 8. Results Sixteen patients had received the induction therapy (mean age: 36 years, 7 males and 9 females) in our centre. After 8 weeks, 12 (75%) patients responded to the TFC induction therapy and 6 (37.5%) of them were in remission. Four patients were primary non-responders (25%). Corticosteroid therapy (18 ± 7 mg) was required during the induction in 4 responder cases, which could be stepped down by week 8. As a continuous maintenance therapy, 4 patients have already reached the 16th week and 8 have completed the 24th week. By the end of the follow-up, 12 patients responded and 10 was in remission. During the observation period, 3 patients had to remain on 10 mg TFC dose, 6 patients required dose escalation from 5 mg to 10 mg and 5 mg was sufficient in case of only 3 patients after the introduction. Endoscopic activity showed a moderate decrease from 2.5 ± 0.5 eMayo score to 2 ± 1 (n = 7) until week 16. In respect the responder patients, CRP levels decreased from the mean of 7.23 to 5.02. No serious side-effects were observed during the follow-up. Conclusion After the 8-week TFC induction therapy, the response rate was high and only every fourth patients were non-responder. A low number of patients had adequate reactions to the 5 mg-therapy after the introduction, but TFC is effective with dose-escalation in respect of clinical response and remission in patients with UC, who have had an inadequate response to previous biological therapy.