Results showed that among 348 patients who achieved clinical response to treatment with intravenous ustekinumab during induction, 64.9% were in symptomatic remission after 44 weeks. After 200 weeks, the 4-year mark, 55.2% were in symptomatic remission. The majority of patients (96.4%) were not receiving corticosteroids. Among the 174 patients receiving ustekinumab as their first biologic for UC (biologic-naïve), 71.8% were in symptomatic remission after 44 weeks of maintenance and 67.2% were in remission at week 200.
“Importantly, the vast majority of patients who achieved remission in the study were able to eliminate the use of steroids, which can cause significant side effects and are not a long-term treatment solution for the disease," said lead author Waqqas Afif, MD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine and Division of Gastroenterology at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada, in a press release.