Introduction

Aloe barbadensis Mill. (Aloe) with its complex polysaccharide composition has been suggested to have prebiotic properties, however no human intervention trials have previously been undertaken to study this effect.

Aims & Methods

With the aim of designing prebiotic strategies for human gut health promotion, this randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluated the effects of increasing doses of chemically characterized Aloe extract on gastrointestinal function and overall gastrointestinal microenvironment, including fecal microbiota and metabolite composition in healthy adults.
Fecal samples were collected from healthy subjects (56 females and 21 males, age 19 - 69) at baseline, and week 3 and week 6 after intervention with placebo or 0.5 g, 1.0 g or 3.0g of Aloe extract/day. Gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed using validated questionnaires and stool consistency was evaluated using the Bristol Stool Form Scale. A food questionnaire was used to evaluate dietary quality, adapted using an index created by the Swedish National Food Agency. Fecal microbiota was evaluated by GA-map^TM Dysbiosis Test, while H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used for metabolomic profiling. Multivariate Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminatory Analysis (OPLS-DA) was applied to fecal microbiota and metabolite data sets. Statistical analyses were carried out using non-parametric tests.

Results

All participants completed the study and demographic parameters such as age, sex, diet quality and BMI did not differ between the study groups at baseline. Intervention with increasing doses of Aloe was safe and well tolerated and did not cause gastrointestinal symptoms, as assessed using the gastrointestinal symptoms rating scale. Stool consistency changed after supplementation with Aloe, (n= 57; 3.9 (3.2 – 4.4) vs 3.6 (2.8 – 4.2), P = 0.005), but not for placebo (n= 20; 3.9 (3.2 – 4.5) vs. 3.7 (3.2 – 4.3), P = 0.82), comparing baseline vs. end of intervention, without difference between the groups (P = 0.33).
No alterations were seen in the fecal microbiota profiles before vs. after intervention, in either of the groups, indicative of a stable overall gut microbiota. Furthermore, the fecal metabolite profiles remained unaltered after intervention with Aloe. However, Aloe modulated the fecal metabolite profile in healthy subjects with BMI ≥25 (n = 24; R2 = 0.87, Q2 = 0.51), but not healthy subjects with BMI ≤24 (n = 32; R2 = 0.44, Q2 = 0.12), when comparing baseline vs. end of intervention by OPLS-DA. Moreover, Aloe intervention showed potential to reduce the difference seen in the fecal metabolite profiles between subjects with BMI ≤24 and those with BMI ≥25 from R2 = 0.57 and Q2 = 0.30 at baseline to R2 = 0.38 and Q2 = -0.11 at end of intervention. No such tendencies were seen in the smaller placebo group (BMI ≤24, n = 12 vs. BMI ≥25, n =6).

Conclusion

Supplementation with increasing doses of Aloe extract is safe and well tolerated in healthy adults. Overall, our findings support safety of Aloe extract, and show that supplementing diet with Aloe extract has the potential to modulate intestinal microbiota function, especially in healthy adults with a BMI ≥25, with an altered intestinal microenvironment.

Disclosure

Presenting Author - Bani Ahluwalia is employed by Calmino Group AB, while carrying out Post-doctoral research at the University of Gothenburg.

Introduction

In perianal fistulizing Crohn’s disease (PFCD), higher infliximab (IFX) serum trough concentrations are associated with improved outcomes. Most PFCD patients require dose intensification to achieve therapeutic target concentrations. IFX pharmacokinetics (PK) in PFCD have not been previously characterized. We hypothesized that IFX clearance (CL) is increased in PFCD compared to Crohn’s disease with luminal disease only (CD).

Aims & Methods

Patients with CD and PFCD starting standard-dose intravenous IFX (5 mg/kg at week 0, 2, 6, thereafter every 8 weeks) were enrolled. Pre-infusion samples were collected from week 2 to 26 to measure IFX trough levels (TL), and anti-drug antibodies if IFX TL was below 1.0 μg/mL. Target TL were 20 μg/mL (week 2), 15 μg/mL (week 6), and 10 μg/mL (week 14) for PFCD, and 5.0 μg/mL (week 14) for CD. A population PK model was constructed using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling and adjusted for clinically relevant covariates.

Results

A total of 148 patients were included (63 PFCD, 85 CD), contributing 761 serum samples. Baseline demographics were comparable, except for higher luminal disease activity and concomitant immunomodulator use in CD. During induction, target IFX TL were achieved in significantly fewer PFCD patients (43% vs. 57%, P = .038). At week 14, median IFX TLs were lower in PFCD (2.8 μg/mL [IQR 1.0-5.4] than in CD (4.8 μg/mL [IQR 2.0–6.6], P = .014), with target TL attainment in only 9% of PFCD versus 46% of CD patients (P < .001). In multivariate regression analysis, PFCD was independently associated with a sevenfold increased risk of underdosing at week 14 (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 7.14, P < .001). Anti-drug antibodies (ADA) against infliximab were detected in 10/19 (53%) of PFCD patients and 9/25 (36%) CD patients with IFX TL below 1 μg/mL (P = .36) after a median of 20 weeks, with 35% of cases being transient during follow-up. While more PFCD patients had very low infliximab levels at week 14 (<1 μg/mL; 22% vs. 10%, P = .07), ADA presence and median ADA levels at that time did not differ significantly between these groups (P = .99 and P = .25, respectively).
IFX PK was described by a two-compartment model with linear elimination. Population PK modeling of the first 14 weeks revealed an 18% increase in IFX CL among patients with active perianal fistulas adjusted for dose, weight, serum albumin and presence of anti-drug antibodies (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Active perianal fistulas are independently associated with increased infliximab clearance in patients with Crohn’s disease, resulting in significantly lower and frequently subtherapeutic serum trough levels despite standard induction dosing. At week 14, patients with PFCD had a sevenfold higher risk of underexposure compared to those with luminal CD only. These findings highlight a critical need for intensified or personalized infliximab dosing strategies during induction in PFCD to optimize therapeutic exposure and improve clinical outcomes.

Introduction

Guselkumab (GUS) is a dual-acting IL-23p19 subunit inhibitor that was efficacious in double-blind, placebo-controlled, treat-through trials in participants (pts) with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease (CD) using IV induction and SC maintenance (GALAXI 2 & 3) or SC induction and maintenance (GRAVITI). Assessment of histologic disease activity is becoming increasingly important as a measure of treatment efficacy. Here we report histologic outcomes at Weeks (W) 12 & 48 from GRAVITI.

Aims & Methods

Pts were randomized 1:1:1 to GUS 400 mg SC every 4 weeks (q4w)→200 mg SC q4w, GUS 400 mg SC q4w→100 mg SC every 8 weeks (q8w), or placebo (PBO). Biopsies were obtained from the most affected area (or if no disease activity present, from normal-appearing mucosa) in 5 segments: terminal ileum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, and rectum. Histologic response, histologic remission, and the composite endpoints of histo-endoscopic response and histo-endoscopic remission were evaluated using Robarts Histopathology Index (RHI), Global Histologic Activity Score (GHAS), and Geboes scoring. Histologic response was assessed in pts with baseline histologic disease; histologic remission, histo-endoscopic response, and histo-endoscopic remission were assessed in the full analysis set (see definitions in table legend). Pts who met rescue criteria at W16 were considered non-responders at W48. Histologic endpoints in GRAVITI were exploratory and not controlled for multiple comparisons; p-values are nominal.

Results

Of the 347 pts in the full analysis set, 273 (78.7%) had baseline histologic disease per RHI score. SC induction with GUS (400 mg SC at W0, W4, & W8) resulted in greater rates of histologic response, histologic remission, histo-endoscopic response, and histo-endoscopic remission compared to placebo at W12 (Table). At W48, greater proportions of pts receiving GUS 100 mg SC q8w or GUS 200 mg SC q4w maintenance also achieved histologic response, histologic remission, histo-endoscopic response, and histo-endoscopic remission compared to PBO. Comparable outcomes were observed using GHAS or Geboes scoring criteria.

Conclusion

Compared to PBO, pts with moderately to severely active CD receiving SC induction and maintenance treatment with GUS achieved greater rates of histologic response, histologic remission, histo-endoscopic response, and histo-endoscopic remission through W48. These results support the use of histologic and composite histologic and endoscopic endpoints as a measure of CD activity, and the efficacy of SC guselkumab in CD.

Disclosure

GRD’H: consultancy activities for AbbVie, Agomab, Alimentiv, AstraZeneca, AMT, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Exeliom, Galapagos, GlaxoSmithKline, Gossamerbio, Immunic, Index, Johnson & Johnson, Kaleido, Origo, Pfizer, Polpharma, Procise Diagnostics, Prometheus Laboratories, Prometheus Biosciences, Progenity, and Protagonist Therapeutics Inc.; speaker’s bureau for AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Galapagos, Pfizer, and Takeda; and data monitoring board activities for AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Galapagos, and Seres Health.
ALH: lecturer and/or advisory board member for Bristol Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Falk, AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, Takeda, Pfizer, Galapagos, MSD, and GSK.
RP: consulting fees from Abbivax, Abbott, AbbVie, Alimentiv (formerly Robarts), Amgen, AnaptsyBio, Arena Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Celltrion, Cosmos Pharmaceuticals, Eisai, Elan, Eli Lilly, Ferring, Fresenius Kabi, Galapagos, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, JAMP Bio, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Mylan, Novartis, Oppilan Pharma, Organon, Pandion Pharma, Pendopharm, Pfizer, Progenity, Prometheus Biosciences, Protagonist Therapeutics, Roche, Sandoz, Satisfai Health, Shire, Spyre Therapeutics, Sublimity Therapeutics, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Theravance Biopharma, Trellus, Union Biopharma, Viatris, Ventyx, and UCB; speaker’s fees from AbbVie, Amgen, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Ferring, Fresenius Kabi, Gilead Sciences, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Organon, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Shire, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals; and participation in Advisory Boards for AbbVie, Alimentiv (formerly Robarts), Amgen, Arena Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Ferring, Fresenius Kabi, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, Glaxo-Smith Kline, JAMP Bio, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Mylan, Novartis, Oppilan Pharma, Organon, Pandion Pharma, Pfizer, Progenity, Protagonist Therapeutics, Roche, Sandoz, Shire, Sublimity Therapeutics, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Ventyx.
FS: consultant, speaker, or researcher for AbbVie, Amgen, Celltrion, Ferring, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Sandoz, and Takeda.
QC: steering committee adviser for Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson; research grants from Takeda and Johnson & Johnson.
SD: consultancy fees from AbbVie, Alimentiv, Allergan, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Athos, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Enthera, Ferring, Gilead, Hospira, Inotrem, Johnson & Johnson, MSD, Mundipharma, Mylan, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Sublimity, Takeda, TiGenix, UCB and Vifor; and lecture fees from AbbVie, Amgen, Ferring, Gilead, Johnson & Johnson, Mylan, Pfizer and Takeda
TH: grant support from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, EA pharma Co. Ltd., AbbVie GK, JIMRO Co. Ltd., Zeria Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Nippon Kayaku Co. Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Pfizer Inc., Mochida Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Boston Scientific Corporation, and Kissei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.; consulting fees from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, EA pharma Co. Ltd., AbbVie GK, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Inc., Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Abivax; lecture fees from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, AbbVie GK, EA pharma Co. Ltd., Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., JIMRO Co., Johnson & Johnson, Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Pfizer Inc., and Kissei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
BES: consulting fees from AbbVie, Adiso Therapeutics, Agomab, Alimentiv, Amgen, AnaptysBio, Arena Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Biolojic Design, Biora Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Pharmaceuticals, Celltrion, Equillium, Enthera, Enveda Biosciences, Evommune, Ferring, Galapagos, Genentech (Roche), Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Gossamer Bio, Imhotex, Index Pharmaceuticals, Innovation Pharmaceuticals, Inotrem, Kaleido, Kallyope, Merck, Microba, Mirador Therapeutics, Mobius Care, Morphic Therapeutics, MRM Health, Nexus Therapeutics, Nimbus Discovery, Odyssey Therapeutics, Progenity, Prometheus Biosciences, Prometheus Laboratories, Protagonist Therapeutics, Q32 Bio, Rasayana Therapeutics, Recludix Therapeutics, Reistone Biopharma, Sanofi, Sorriso Pharmaceuticals, Spyre Therapeutics, Sun Pharma, Surrozen, Target RWE, Teva, TLL Pharmaceutical, Tr1X, Union Therapeutics, Ventyx Biosciences, and Vividion Therapeutics; consulting and speaking fees from Abivax; consulting and speaking fees and other support from Lilly; research grants, consulting and speaking fees and other support from Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Takeda; and stock/stock options from Ventyx Biopharma.
MO, LS, PB, WvD, NT: employees and shareholders of Johnson & Johnson

Introduction

Difficult-to-treat Crohn’s disease (CD), as defined by the International Organization for the Study of IBD (IOIBD), encompasses patients with persistent disease activity despite advanced therapies, complex phenotypes (e.g., penetrating complications), or post-surgical recurrence. Upadacitinib, a selective JAK1 inhibitor, has demonstrated efficacy in Western populations, yet data in Asian cohorts remain sparse. This study evaluates the effectiveness and safety of standardized induction regimen of upadacitinib (45mg qd) in Asian patients meeting IOIBD criteria for difficult-to-treat CD.

Aims & Methods

To assess the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in Asian patients with difficult-to-treat CD, providing evidence for clinical decision-making, a retrospective, multicenter study was conducted from 8 Chinese tertiary centers (January 2023–January 2025) on difficult-to-treat Crohn’s disease patients who met IOIBD criteria. All patients received upadacitinib 45mg qd for 12 weeks. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI), with the primary outcome being clinical remission (CDAI <150) and the secondary outcome being clinical response (CDAI reduction ≥70) at week 12. Adverse events (AEs) were systematically recorded.

Results

We finally collected 151 patients who met IOIBD criteria(Table1). Among them, 147 patients presented failure of ≥2 biologics with distinct mechanisms, 3 patients had complex perianal disease and 1 patient had postoperative recurrence. The mean disease duration of these patients was 7.6 years (SD 4.5 years). At week 12, 71 patients (47.0%) achieved clinical remission, 66 patients (43.7%) showed clinical response, and 14 patients (9.3%) were non-responders. Adverse events occurred in 40 patients (26.5%): acne (n=13), anemia (n=13), leukopenia (n=3), fever (n=4), urinary tract infection (n=2), herpes zoster (n=2), folliculitis (n=1), amenorrhea (n=1), elevated creatine phosphokinase (n=1), and mediastinal tuberculosis (n=1). Most AEs were mild and resolved with oral medications.

Table1. Baseline Characteristics of Patients with Difficult-to-Treat CD Treated with UPA

Conclusion

This is the largest Asian cohort study of upadacitinib for difficult-to-treat CD. The drug demonstrated robust efficacy and a favorable safety profile. Notably, tuberculosis reactivation was rare. Standard dosing showed comparable effectiveness and tolerability to European data, underscoring upadacitinib as a strong therapeutic option in Asian populations.

References

1. Parigi TL, D'Amico F, Abreu MT, et al. Difficult-to-treat inflammatory bowel disease: results from an international consensus meeting. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023;8(9):853-859. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(23)00154-1
2. Parigi TL, Massimino L, Carini A, et al. Prevalence, Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Difficult-to-Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease. J Crohns Colitis. 2025;19(3):jjae145. doi:10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjae145
3. Bezzio C, Franchellucci G, Savarino EV, et al. Upadacitinib in Patients With Difficult-to-Treat Crohn's Disease [published correction appears in Crohns Colitis 360. 2025 Mar 25;7(1):otaf022. doi: 10.1093/crocol/otaf022.]. Crohns Colitis 360. 2024;6(4):otae060. Published 2024 Oct 24. doi:10.1093/crocol/otae060
4. Devi J, Xu A, Stone M, et al. Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Upadacitinib in Crohn's Disease: A Multicenter Study. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. Published online March 8, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2025.01.012

Introduction

Mirikizumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against the p19 subunit of interleukin (IL)-23 approved for the management of patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC). Currently, there is no large study supporting the effectiveness of mirikizumab in UC in a real-life setting.

Aims & Methods

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of mirikizumab in real-life setting. This was a retrospective multicenter cohort study of a prospectively collected database including adult patients with confirmed diagnosis of UC treated with mirikizumab according to clinical practice. Patients were enrolled in three third-level italian centers (San Raffaele Hospital, Humanitas Research Hospital, and Federico II Hospital) from June 2024 to February 2025. All patients with at least 3 months of follow-up after therapy initiation were eligible. The primary outcome was the clinical remission rate (defined as partial Mayo Score (pMS) < 2 with a rectal bleeding subscore of 0) at week 12. Secondary outcomes included changes in bowel urgency (measured by the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) urgency score), changes in serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and fecal calprotectin (FC) levels from week 0 to 12, safety profile of mirikizumab during induction therapy.

Results

In total 100 patients (60% male, with median age 48.53 ± 15.36) with UC were included. Most patients had a left-sided colitis (55, 55%) or a pancolitis (41, 41%). Most patients (81, 81%) were already treated with at least one advanced therapy before starting mirikizumab (including 28 patients treated with ustekinumab, 28%). A fifth of patients (19, 19%) were exposed to ≥ 4 advanced therapies. A significant reduction in pMS was observed from baseline to week 12 (median [IQR]: 4.0 [1.75–6.0] vs. 2.0 [0.0–4.0]; Wilcoxon signed-rank test: W = 312, Z = -5.35, p < 0.00001, n = 69) with 48 (48%) patients reaching clinical remission at week 12. Moreover, a significant improvement in bowel urgency was observed from baseline to week 12 (t(98) = 6.58, p = 2.28×10⁻⁹), with a moderate-to-large effect size (g = 0.66). From baseline to week 12, both FC and CRP levels showed significant reductions following treatment (FC: V = 1153.00, p = 2.4×10⁻⁵, r = 0.67; CRP: V = 680.00, p = 0.03, r = 0.37). Effect sizes were large for FC and moderate for CRP with paired data from 53 and 47 patients being analyzed, respectively. In total, 39 patients (39%) underwent extended induction while 3 patients (3%) discontinued the drug at week 12. There were no adverse events leading to discontinuation or death. Two mild adverse events were reported (upper respiratory tract infection in 1 patient and pyrexia in 1 patients). No significant changes were observed in liver aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels over time (AST: χ²(2) = 0.21, p = 0.90, W = 0.005; ALT: χ²(2) = 3.73, p = 0.16, W = 0.08).

Conclusion

This is the largest study demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of mirikizumab in inducing clinical remission in patients with UC in a real-life setting. Patients treated with mirikizumab achieved a significant reduction in bowel urgency, FC and CRP levels. No statistically significant increase in liver toxicity was detected during the induction treatment.

Disclosure

F. D'Amico. OM Nardone, A. Zilli, M. Allocca, S. Danese, L. Peyrin-Biroulet and A. Armuzzi have served as speaker and advisory board member for Lilly