Efficacy and safety of vedolizumab for inflammatory bowel diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Vedolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits gut-selective α4β7 integrins on the surface of leukocytes, preventing their trafficking into the gastrointestinal tract, and ultimately achieves the effect of suppressing intestinal inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vedolizumab in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. METHODS: After a systematic review of relevant studies, the pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate the effect. Heterogeneity was explored using sensitivity analysis, univariate meta-regression, and subgroup analysis. Potential publication bias was evaluated using Egger test and trim-and-fill method. RESULTS: Nine randomized controlled trials involving 4268 participants were included in the meta-analysis. During induction therapy, vedolizumab was more effective than placebo in treating active ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease in terms of clinical response (RR = 1.55, 95%CI: 1.35–1.78), clinical remission (RR = 1.90, 95%CI: 1.50–2.41), and mucosal healing (RR = 1.53, 95%CI: 1.21–1.95). A superior effect in terms of durable Clinical or Crohn disease Activity Index-100 response (RR = 1.65, 95%CI: 1.20–2.26), clinical remission (RR = 1.92, 95%CI: 1.48–2.50), and glucocorticoid-free remission (RR = 2.22, 95%CI: 1.71–2.90) was found during maintenance treatment. Vedolizumab was not associated with any adverse events and was as safe as placebo in terms of the risk of serious adverse reactions. CONCLUSIONS: Vedolizumab may be safe and effective as an induction and maintenance therapy for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease; however, further studies are needed to validate this conclusion.