Subcutaneous infliximab in the treatment of refractory Crohn‘s disease patients – a pilot study of drug immunogenicity
Abstract
Despite infliximab (IFX) still being the “gold standard” of biological therapy for Crohn’s disease (CD), its effectiveness may vary depending on many factors. One of these factors is the individual patient’s reaction to the drug.
A significant clinical problem is the immunogenicity of IFX, where up to 60% of treated patients may develop antibodies against the drug, leading to a loss of response to treatment and/or adverse reactions to therapy. Since 2020, subcutaneous infliximab (IFX-SC) has been available for treating CD patients, characterized by its stable and high trough level (TL) concentration in blood.
It is possible that one consequence of this property of IFX-SC is its lower rate of immunogenicity. We present a prospective study of patients diagnosed with CD with severe to refractory courses, treated with IFX-SC.
The aim of the study was to monitor the immunogenicity of IFX-SC, including the dynamics of TL and anti-drug antibodies (anti-IFX). The dynamics of clinical, imaging, and laboratory markers of CD over one year of monitoring and treatment are described.