Upadacitinib is Effective in Hospitalized Patients With Crohn Disease

A new study shows that upadacitinib (Rinvoq) therapy yields favorable outcomes in people hospitalized with Crohn disease (CD). The findings were presented at ACG 2024.

Upadacitinib is a JAK inhibitor approved in 2023 for treatment of CD and is effective in achieving remission, as the researchers noted. However, to date, no studies have evaluated the drug’s use in hospitalized CD patients.

In this retrospective chart review study, researchers analyzed 19 patients (all over the age of 18)  hospitalized with CD and initiated on upadacitinib.  Primary end points of interest were defined as need for surgical intervention, treatment discontinuation, and frequency of steroid-requiring flares.

The findings showed that of patients treated with upadacitinib, 21% required post-discharge surgery for disease control,  and 37% had treatment discontinued due to uncontrolled disease. Overall, most patients (85%) initiated with upadacitinib did not require steroids for persistent symptoms at the time of 90-day follow-up.

Although the study was limited by the recent of upadacitinib’s approval to treat CD, the researchers concluded that “initial results suggest favorable outcomes in hospitalized CD treated with Upadacitinib based on the primary endpoints.” Owing to the limitation, they added that more research is required “to describe the specific population of CD patients that would most benefit from its use in-hospital.”