Kendall Beck, MD: Promising New Tofacitinib Data From the Crohn's and Colitis Congress

While clinical trials do not always mimic what is seen in practice, new data presented during the Crohn’s and Colitis Congress 2023 in Denver from a real-world look show tofacitinib dose de-escalation continues to be efficacious for patients with moderate and severe ulcerative colitis.

In the study, the investigators treated patients with 10 mg twice daily for 8, 16, or more than 16 weeks and defined dose de-escalation as a decrease to 5 mg twice daily. Of the 162 patients, 52% (n = 83) continued induction doses, while 48% (n = 79) were in the dose de-escalation group. Overall, the results show patients who were in the dose de-escalation group were less likely to be steroid dependent during induction (50% vs 70%; P = 0.01).

Following a median follow-up of 12 months, the cumulative incidence rate of ulcerative colitis flares were similar in both groups (56% vs 58%; P = 0.81). However, patients without dose de-escalation had higher rates of ulcerative colitis-related hospitalization (27% vs 14%; P = 0.04) and change of therapy class (39% vs 12%; P <0.01).

In an interview with HCPLive®, Kendall Beck, MD, University of California San Francisco, explained how the results point to tofacitinib being a top treatment for patients with ulcerative colitis.