Vedolizumab for Refractory Microscopic Colitis, Plus, Vedolizumab and Serious Infections

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LC Shipley et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 20: 455-457. Vedolizumab Therapy in Refractory Microscopic Colitis: A Single Center Case Series

In this report, the authors describe nine patients with refractory microscopic colitis (median age 55 years) who were treated with vedolizumab.

Key findings:

  • Clinical response with induction in 9 (100%); time to >50% response ranged from 1 to 7 weeks with 5 patients responding within 2 weeks.
  • Sustained response with maintenance therapy in 6 (67%); duration of follow-up ranged from 1 month to 15 months. The three patients without response had symptom duration of 10 yrs, 12 yrs, and 25 yrs prior to institution of vedolizumab.
  • Only two patients had histologic follow-up. While both had clinical response, the patient with lymphocytic colitis had histologic resolution whereas a patient with collagenous colitis had histologic persistent.

My take: Given vedolizumab’s favorable safety profile, further studies (with endoscopic endpoints) of vedolizumab are needed to define its efficacy for microscopic colitis.

Another study with vedolizumab: J Kirchgesner et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 20: 314-324. Risk of Serious Infections With Vedolizumab Versus Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonists in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Key finding: The risk of serious infections was not different between vedolizumab and anti-TNF in the overall IBD cohort (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0·79-1.13), while the risk was decreased for vedolizumab users in patients with UC (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.50-0.93), but not CD (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.87-1.38)

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