IL-23 Inhibitor Effective in Crohn's Disease Save

Selective IL-23 inhibition has been touted to be the next great advance in the treatment of inflammatory bowel and psoriatic disease. The annual Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference in San Diego reported early reults from a proof-of-concept, Phase II study, wherein risankizumab (anti-IL-23) was shown to be more effective than placebo in patients with moderately-to-severely active Crohn's disease.

This randomized, placebo controlled trial showed clinical remission in 24% and 37% of those receiving 200 mg and 600 mg risankizumab, respectively, compared with a 15% placebo response. Clinical findings were also supported by CDAI scores and endoscopic evidence of remission in those on risankizumab.

Risankizumab (being co-developed by Boehringer Ingelheim and AbbVie) is a monoclonal antibody against IL-23p19 subunit 1 and has been given to patients with active severe Crohn's disease, many of whom had been previously treated with TNF inhibitors. There were few severe or serious adverse events in risankizumab. The most common adverse events included nausea, worsening of Crohn`s, abdominal pain, vomiting), arthralgia, anemia and headache.

Risankizumab is not yet approved by any regulatory authority. 

B Feagan et al. Efficacy and safety of induction therapy with the selective IL-23 inhibitor risankizumab (BI 655066), in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease: Results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II study. Digestive Disease Week, San Diego, USA, 21–24th May 2016. [Abstract ID 2483687]