LAUSR

Present therapies leave an unmet need for early and effective treatment for patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Risankizumab (RZB), a humanized immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody against the p19 subunit of interleukin-23, was evaluated as an induction therapy to induce early clinical remission and response in patients with moderate-to-severe CD in two double-blind, randomized, placebo (PBO)-controlled studies (ADVANCE [NCT03104413] and MOTIVATE [NCT03105128]). Patients with moderate-to-severe CD (CD Activity Index [CDAI] of 220–450, Simple Endoscopic Score for CD [SES-CD] ≥ 6 [≥ 4 for isolated ileal disease] excluding the narrowing component, and average daily [liquid/very soft] stool frequency [SF] ≥ 4 and/or average daily abdominal pain [AP] score ≥ 2) who had inadequate response or intolerance to conventional and/or biologic treatment (ADVANCE), or biologic treatment only (MOTIVATE) were randomised 2:2:1 (ADVANCE) or 1:1:1 (MOTIVATE) to receive intravenous RZB 600 mg, RZB 1200 mg, or PBO as induction therapy at weeks 0, 4, and 8. Clinical remission (per either CDAI or a composite of SF and AP criteria), clinical response (per CDAI criterion), and enhanced clinical response (per a composite of SF and AP criteria) were evaluated at weeks 4, 8, and 12 (endpoints defined in Figure 1 footnotes). Safety was assessed throughout the studies. A total of 1419 patients from ADVANCE (N = 850) and MOTIVATE (N = 569) respectively, were randomised and included in the intention-to-treat population. In both studies, starting at week 4 (the first prespecified measurement), greater proportions of RZB 600 mg or RZB 1200 mg- vs PBO-treated patients achieved clinical remission per either CDAI (P = .01/P < .05) or SF/AP criteria (P < .01/P < .01), clinical response per CDAI criterion (P = .001/P < .01), and enhanced clinical response per SF/AP criteria (P < .01/P = .14) (Figure 1). For both RZB 600 mg and RZB 1200 mg, the efficacy and treatment effect increased through week 12 (P ≤ .001/P ≤ .001) (Figure 1). Treatment with RZB 600 mg or 1200 mg was well tolerated, and no new safety risks were identified.1,2 Induction therapy with both RZB 600 mg and 1200 mg intravenous resulted in significantly greater clinical remission and response vs PBO as early as week 4 and sustained through week 12 in patients with moderate-to-severe CD who had inadequate response or intolerance to conventional and/or biologic treatment.