Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Crohn's Disease (CD) Activity Index (CDAI), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Questionnaire (IBDQ), and IBD-Fatigue (IBD-F) scale are useful patient-reported outcome (PRO) tools for assessing the treatment benefits of vedolizumab (VDZ) beyond clinical trial endpoints in patients with CD. OBJECTIVES: To assess clinical response, clinical remission, steroid-free remission, changes from baseline for PROs, and safety in a real-world cohort of patients with moderate-to-severe active CD treated with VDZ. DESIGN: POLONEZ II was a multicenter, observational, prospective study across 10 Polish centers from April 2020 to October 2023 for 54 weeks in patients with CD eligible for reimbursed VDZ. METHODS: Primary endpoints at week 54 (W54) were clinical response (⩾70-point reduction in CDAI and >25% reduction vs baseline), remission (CDAI score ⩽150), and steroid-free remission. Other outcomes were changes in PROs (CDAI score and health-related quality of life) and safety. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed. RESULTS: Of 98 patients with CD, the mean age was 35.2 years, 57.1% were male, and 72.4% had an ileocolonic disease. At W54 (n = 98), 63.3% of patients achieved clinical response, 48.0% remission, and 36.0% steroid-free remission. The durability of clinical response, remission, and steroid-free remission (W14-W54) were 68.9%, 62.9%, and 57.1%, respectively. By W54, a significant reduction in the PROs, such as the total CDAI score (p < 0.001), stool frequency (p < 0.001), abdominal pain score (p < 0.001), IBDQ (p < 0.001), IBD-F (p < 0.05), and fatigue impact on daily activities (p < 0.001), was observed. During VDZ treatment, arthralgia (23.7%-8.7%) and anemia (22.6%-15.9%) decreased between baseline and W54. Non-serious adverse events (SAEs; 12.2%), SAEs (7.1%), and VDZ-related rash (1.0%) were reported. Mean CD-related hospitalization duration decreased from baseline (10.2 days) to the end of the study (5.3 days). CONCLUSION: POLONEZ II demonstrated long-term real-world benefits of VDZ toward effectiveness, safety, and improved PROs and patients' quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ENCePP (EUPAS32716).