Safety and efficacy of transitioning inflammatory bowel disease patients from intravenous to subcutaneous infliximab: a single-center real-world experience

BACKGROUND: A new subcutaneous (SC) formulation exists for infliximab (CT-P13 SC). The aim of this study was to assess the durability of clinical and endoscopic responses after a switch from intravenous (IV) to SC infliximab. METHODS: Patients were transitioned on maintenance infliximab, including those with dose-optimized therapy. The primary outcome was clinical, biochemical and overall remission at 6 months, as defined by a Harvey-Bradshaw Index <5 for Crohn’s disease or a partial Mayo score <3 for ulcerative colitis, C-reactive protein less than 10 mg/L, and fecal calprotectin less than 100 μg/g. RESULTS: Forty patients were switched from IV to SC infliximab. Twenty-seven (68%) had a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease and 13 (33%) had ulcerative colitis. Twenty-three (58%) were on 5 mg/kg of IV infliximab every 8 weeks and 15 (38%) 5 mg/kg every 6 weeks. There were 2 patients (4%) on 10 mg/kg every 6 weeks. At the time of their switch, 37 (93%) patients were in clinical remission, 25 (76%) were in biochemical remission, and 25 (76%) were in both biochemical and clinical remission. At 6 months the proportion of patients in clinical remission decreased from 93% to 82%, with an overall relapse rate of 11%. Treatment persistence at 6 months was 77.5%. CONCLUSION: Switching patients from IV infliximab to 120 mg fortnightly SC injections is a safe and effective option for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including for those patients on dose-escalated infliximab or with active disease at the time of switch.