Biopharmaceutical company AbbVie is going to present 18 abstracts regarding its gastroenterology and hepatology programs at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW), taking place between May 16th and 19th in Washington, D.C. Among the abstracts, AbbVie will feature data on clinical studies conducted by the company to assess the safety and efficacy of HUMIRA (adalimumab), a treatment for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
AbbVie will feature the results of its six-year, observational study which included patients who suffer from moderate to severe Crohn’s disease, in a presentation entitled “An Observational Study of Adalimumab in Crohn’s Disease: Results at Year 6; G. D’Haens, et al.” In addition, a post hoc investigation of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis patients regarding the durability of clinical remission and response will also be presented at “Durable Clinical Remission and Response in Adalimumab-Treated Patients with Ulcerative Colitis; R. Panaccione, et al.”
A further presentation entitled “Effect of Adalimumab on Clinical Laboratory Parameters in Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Patients from IMAgINE 1; J. Hyams, et al.” will be hosted featuring research into the indirect costs and family burden of U.S. pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease. A study that compared the burden experienced by ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s patients and another one on the severity of ulcerative colitis are also included in the presentations, as announced by the company in a press release.
The inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment is among the most evaluated in comprehensive biologic studies and has been target of research for over 12 years. HUMIRA was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat eight indications, such as moderate to severe Crohn’s disease in adults, moderate to severe Crohn’s disease in children older than six years and moderate to severe ulcerative colitis in adults.
“AbbVie remains committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients with serious gastroenterologic and hepatic diseases,” stated the vice president for pharmaceutical development at AbbVie, Scott Brun, MD. “The depth and breadth of data presented at DDW showcase AbbVie’s leadership in these fields, building upon decades of experience and research while deepening our understanding of disease burden and impact.”
In addition to HUMIRA, the company is going to present data from its studies to evaluate VIEKIRA PAK (ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir tablets; dasabuvir tablets). The medication was approved last December in the U.S. to treat genotype 1 chronic HCV infection in adults, including patients with compensated cirrhosis, and AbbVie will present data on its safety and efficacy. All of the abstracts and more information on the Digestive Disease Week is available here.
Last November, AbbVie established a collaboration with ENTEROME Bioscience SA, to develop new diagnostic methods to support personalized therapies and drugs for the treatment of diseases linked to microbiome composition alterations, such as IBD and metabolic diseases. As part of the new partnership, ENTEROME’s leading expertise in treating the gut microbiome will be combined with AbbVie’s extensive knowledge of IBD treatment to co-create a routine monitoring device to monitor Crohn’s disease patients’ gut microbiome and assess disease progression and response to therapeutics.