Efficacy and safety of combination targeted therapies in immune-mediated inflammatory disease: the COMBIO study.

BACKGROUND: Use of a combination of targeted therapies (COMBIO) in patients with refractory/overlapping immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) has increased, but reported data remain scarce. We aimed to assess effectiveness and safety of COMBIO in patients with IMIDs. METHODS: We conducted a French ambispective multicenter cohort study from September 2020 to May 2021, including adults' patients with 1 or 2 IMIDs and treated at least 3-month with COMBIO. RESULTS: Overall, 143 patients were included. The most common IMIDs were Crohn's disease (63.6%), axial spondyloarthritis (37.7%), and ulcerative colitis (14%). Half of patients had only one IMID, of which 60% were Crohn's disease. Mean duration of COMBIO was 274.5±59.3 weeks, and COMBIO persistence at 104 weeks was estimated at 64.1%. The most frequent COMBIOs combined anti-TNF agents with vedolizumab (30%) or ustekinumab (28.7%). Overall, 50% of patients achieved significant and 27% mild-to-moderate improvement in patient-reported outcomes. Extended duration of COMBIO (aOR=1.09; 95% CI: 1.03-1.14; p=0.002) and diagnoses of two IMIDs (aOR=3.46; 95%CI: 1.29-9.26; p=0.013) were associated with significant improvement in patient-reported outcomes. Incidence of serious infection during COMBIO was 4.51 per 100 person-years (95% CI 2.20-8.27) and 5 COMBIOs were discontinued due to adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: COMBIO can be effective and safe in patients with refractory/overlapping IMIDs.

Secukinumab and ustekinumab treatment in psoriatic arthritis: results of a direct comparison.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the characteristics of patients (pts) with PsA treated by ustekinumab (UST) or secukinumab (SEK) and to compare real-world persistence of UST and SEK in PsA. METHODS: In this retrospective, national, multicentre cohort study, pts with PsA (CASPAR criteria or diagnosis confirmed by the rheumatologist) initiating UST or SEK with a follow-up ≥6 months were included from January 2011 to April 2019. The persistence between SEK and UST was assessed after considering the potential confounding factors by using pre-specified propensity-score methods. Causes of discontinuation and tolerance were also collected. RESULTS: A total of 406 pts were included: 245 with UST and 161 with SEK. The persistence rate was lower in the UST group compared with the SEK group [median persistence 9.4 vs 14.7 months; 26.4% vs 38.0% at 2 years; weighted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.92; P =0.015]. In subgroup analysis, the persistence rate of SEK associated with MTX was significantly higher than that of UST associated with MTX: HR = 2.20; 95% CI: 1.30, 3.51; P =0.001, in contrast to SEK vs UST monotherapy: HR = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.74, 1.53; P =0.75. Discontinuation due to inefficacy was reported in 91.7% (SEK) and 82.4% (UST) of pts. Discontinuation due to an adverse event was reported in 12.2% (SEK) and 7.7% (UST) of pts. CONCLUSION: In this first study comparing UST and SEK, the persistence of SEK was higher than that of UST in PsA. In subgroup analysis, this difference was only found in association with MTX.

Paradoxical pustular psoriasis induced by ustekinumab in a patient with Crohn's disease-associated spondyloarthropathy.

Palmoplantar pustular psoriasis (PPP) is a clinical form of psoriasis, for which tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors (TNFi) or interleukins 12/23 inhibitor (ustekinumab) can be a therapeutic option. Paradoxical psoriatic reactions induced by TNFi are now well known. We present the exceptional case of a paradoxical PPP appeared under ustekinumab in a patient with Crohn's disease-associated spondyloarthropathy. A 58-year-old woman presented with recent peripheral inflammatory arthralgias appeared in the context of a Crohn's disease diagnosed in 2008. Three weeks after the first injection of ustekinumab 390 mg for a refractory Crohn's disease, a slight pruritic erythematous and pustular dermatosis appeared on the right hand palm. The clinical aspect was strongly in favor of a PPP. Ustekinumab was discontinued and replaced by golimumab, leading to a complete healing of PPP after 15 days of discontinuation. Causality assessment calculated using the French method was plausible for ustekinumab in the induction of PPP. It was based on a compatible chronology according to time to onset associated with complete recovery 2 weeks after cessation of treatment, and on the negative assessment of an alternative etiology (nor bacterial or viral infection, nor other treatment taken by the patient, nor previous history of psoriasis). The worsening of underlying psoriasis under ustekinumab through the appearance of generalized or palmoplantar pustules has already been reported in five cases. We describe to our knowledge the first case of paradoxical PPP under ustekinumab in a patient with no known underlying psoriasis.