P718 Combination therapy of adalimumab with an immunomodulator is not more effective than adalimumab monotherapy in children with Crohn’s disease

Abstract

Abstract Background The PAILOT trial was a randomised controlled trial aimed to evaluate proactive vs. reactive therapeutic drug monitoring in children with Crohn’s disease (CD) treated with adalimumab. Our aim, in this post-hoc analysis of the PAILOT trial, was to assess the efficacy and safety of adalimumab combination treatment in comparison to monotherapy at week 72 after adalimumab induction. Methods Participants were children 6–17 years old, biologic naïve, with moderate-to-severe CD, who responded to adalimumab induction at week 4. Patients receiving immunomodulators at baseline, maintained a stable dose until week 24; patients could then discontinue immunomodulators. At each visit patients were assessed for disease index, serum biomarkers, faecal calprotectin, adalimumab trough concentration and anti-adalimumab antibodies. Results Out of the 78 patients (29% female; mean age, 14.3 ± 2.6 years), 34 patients (44%) received combination therapy. During the study period there was no significant difference in the rates of sustained corticosteroid free clinical remission (25/34, 73% vs. 28/44, 63%; p = 0.35), and sustained composite outcome of clinical remission, CRP≤0.5 mg/dl and calprotectin≤150 µgr/gr (10/34, 29% vs. 14/44, 32%; p = 0.77) between the combination group and the monotherapy group, respectively. Clinical and biological outcomes did not differ between the proactive and reactive sub-groups within the combination and monotherapy groups. Adalimumab trough concentrations and immunogenicity were not significantly different between groups. The rate of serious adverse events was not significantly different between groups but numerically higher in the monotherapy group. Conclusion Combination therapy of adalimumab and an immunomodulator was not more effective than adalimumab monotherapy in children with CD.