Since there is a lack of head-to-head randomized controlled trials, little direction is provided from guidelines on the positioning of biologics for the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD). This review utilizes comparative effectiveness and safety results from real-world data and network meta-analyses to inform clinical practice for positioning of biological therapies in the treatment of moderate-to-severe CD.
We summarize the results of studies pertaining to the identification of predictors for response to biologics in CD. Recently published studies about the management of moderate-to-severe CD are discussed and a positioning algorithm is proposed for the therapeutic approach of these patients.
Different classes of biologics are comparable with regards to safety and almost similar in effectiveness in the management of CD. There are certain clinical scenarios in which one biologic is more effective than another. For instance, patients with a more aggressive disease phenotype such as fistulizing disease would benefit from infliximab over other biologics, whereas in older patients at a higher risk for infectious complications, it may be more appropriate to use ustekinumab or vedolizumab over the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents. More data pertaining to identifying predictors of response to the different available therapies and head-to-head comparison trials are needed to personalize our therapeutic approach of CD patients.