AbbVie Gastroenterology Pipeline to be Featured at the 16th Congress of European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO)

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., June 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie today announced new data on upadacitinib (RINVOQ^®) in ulcerative colitis and risankizumab (SKYRIZI^®) in Crohn's disease will be presented as oral presentations at the 16^th Congress of European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO), to be held virtually July 2-3 and July 8-10. AbbVie is presenting a total of nine abstracts, five of which are oral presentations, across a broad range of studies in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

"We know many people with IBD are still suffering with the debilitating effects of their disease," said Remo Panaccione, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the IBD unit, University of Calgary. "AbbVie's robust research on display at ECCO highlights meaningful developments that have the potential to positively impact the lives and improve the standards of care for people living with gastrointestinal diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease."

Two separate oral presentations will feature data from the pivotal Phase 3 induction studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib (45 mg, once daily) as induction therapy in patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis. These studies, U-ACHIEVE and U-ACCOMPLISH, will highlight the impact of upadacitinib on clinical, endoscopic and histologic outcomes after 8 weeks of treatment. Top-line results from these studies were previously announced in December 2020 and February 2021, respectively.

Data from the global Phase 3 program evaluating risankizumab in adults with moderate to severe Crohn's disease will be presented as three separate oral presentations. Phase 3 induction studies, ADVANCE and MOTIVATE, for risankizumab (600 mg or 1200 mg) evaluated clinical remission and response and improvements in endoscopic outcomes at week 12. The third oral presentation from ADVANCE AND MOTIVATE will highlight the impact of risankizumab induction therapy on patient-reported outcomes. Top-line results from these studies were previously announced in January 2021.

In addition, several presentations will focus on advancing research surrounding the importance of understanding patient preferences and the impact of patient-reported outcomes. In partnership with the European Federation of Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis Associations (EFCCA), AbbVie will present results from the P-POWER IBD study that evaluated clinical outcomes and challenges in patients with IBD.

"This study investigated how difficult it is for patients to manage their IBD," said Salvo Leone, chairman of EFCCA. "Patients are seeking further treatment options to control the unpredictability of this disease and its debilitating impact on their daily lives."

Results from the ICONIC study will also be presented, evaluating the correlation between patient-reported outcomes and patient-reported disease activity in ulcerative colitis.

AbbVie abstracts in the 16^th Congress of ECCO programme include:

Upadacitinib Abstracts
Ulcerative Colitis (UC)

• Efficacy and safety of upadacitinib as induction therapy in patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis: Results from phase 3 U-ACCOMPLISH study; OP23; scientific programme oral presentation; July 9; 15:35-15:45 CEST
• Efficacy and safety of upadacitinib induction therapy in patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis: Results from the phase 3 U-ACHIEVE study; OP24; scientific programme oral presentation; July 9; 15:45-15:55 CEST

Risankizumab Abstracts
Crohn's Disease (CD)

• Risankizumab induces early clinical remission and response in patients with Moderate-to-Severe Crohn's Disease: Results from the phase 3 ADVANCE and MOTIVATE studies; OP26; scientific programme oral presentation; July 9; 16:05-16:15 CEST
• Effect of risankizumab on patient-reported outcomes in patients with Crohn's Disease who had an inadequate response or intolerance to conventional and/or biologic treatments: Results from phase 3 MOTIVATE and ADVANCE trials; DOP88; digital oral presentation; July 9; 16:45-17:45 CEST
• Risankizumab therapy induces improvements in endoscopic endpoints in patients with Moderate-to-Severe Crohn's Disease: Results from the phase 3 ADVANCE and MOTIVATE studies; OP36; scientific programme oral presentation; July 10; 11:40-11:50 CEST

Disease State Abstracts

• Analysis of international spontaneous reporting system databases for corticosteroids in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Determinants, Incidence and Consequences of Corticosteroid Excess (DICE)-impact study; P468; e-Poster presentation; July 9; 8:30 CEST
• Correlation between patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and patient-reported disease activity in Ulcerative Colitis (UC): Findings from the ICONIC study; P365; e-Poster presentation; July 9; 8:30 CEST
• IBD patients' treatment preferences are heterogeneous, but largely affected by the avoidance of abdominal pain and side effects (P-POWER IBD study); P153; e-Poster presentation; July 9; 8:30 CEST
• Preliminary validation of a multi-stage machine learning algorithm to assess histological inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease; P137; e-Poster presentation; July 9; 8:30 CEST

The full scientific programme for the 16^th Congress of ECCO is available here.

Risankizumab (SKYRIZI) is part of a collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim and AbbVie, with AbbVie leading development and commercialization globally.

About Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, idiopathic, immune-mediated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) of the large intestine that causes continuous mucosal inflammation extending, to a variable extent, from the rectum to the more proximal colon.^1,2 The hallmark signs and symptoms of ulcerative colitis include rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, tenesmus (a sense of pressure), urgency and fecal incontinence.^1,3 The disease course of ulcerative colitis varies between patients and can range from quiescent disease to chronic refractory disease, which in some cases can lead to surgery or complications, including cancer or death.^2,4 The severity of symptoms and unpredictability of disease course can lead to substantial burden and often disability among those living with the disease.⁵

About Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic disease that manifests as inflammation within the gastrointestinal (or digestive) tract, causing persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain and rectal bleeding.^2,6-7 It is a progressive disease, meaning it gets worse over time.^2,7 Because the signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease are unpredictable, it causes a significant burden on people living with the disease—not only physically, but also emotionally and economically.⁵

About Upadacitinib (RINVOQ^®)

Discovered and developed by AbbVie scientists, RINVOQ is a JAK inhibitor that is being studied in several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.^8-15 In human cellular assays, RINVOQ preferentially inhibits signalling by JAK1 or JAK1/3 with functional selectivity over cytokine receptors that signal via pairs of JAK2.⁸ In August 2019, RINVOQ received U.S. FDA approval for adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate. RINVOQ is approved by the European Commission for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs); for the treatment of active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in adult patients who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to one or more DMARDs; and for the treatment of active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in adult patients who have responded inadequately to conventional therapy. The approved dose for RINVOQ is 15 mg. Phase 3 trials of RINVOQ in atopic dermatitis, axial spondyloarthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, giant cell arteritis and Takayasu arteritis are ongoing.^9-15 Use of RINVOQ in ulcerative colitis is not approved and its safety and efficacy are under evaluation by regulatory authorities.

About Risankizumab (SKYRIZI^®)

SKYRIZI is an interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor that selectively blocks IL-23 by binding to its p19 subunit.^16,17 IL-23, a cytokine involved in inflammatory processes, is thought to be linked to a number of chronic immune-mediated diseases, including Crohn's disease.¹⁶  In April 2019, SKYRIZI received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. The approved dose for SKYRIZI is 150 mg, administered by prefilled pen or prefilled syringe at week 0 and 4, and every 12 weeks thereafter. SKYRIZI was also approved in psoriasis by the European Commission in April 2019. Phase 3 trials of SKYRIZI in psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are ongoing.^18-20 Use of SKYRIZI in Crohn's disease is not approved and its safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by regulatory authorities. 

Important EU Safety Information about RINVOQ^® (upadacitinib)⁸

RINVOQ is contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to the active substance or to any of the excipients, in patients with active tuberculosis (TB) or active serious infections, in patients with severe hepatic impairment, and during pregnancy.

Use in combination with other potent immunosuppressants is not recommended.

Serious and sometimes fatal infections have been reported in patients receiving upadacitinib. The most frequent serious infections reported included pneumonia and cellulitis. Cases of bacterial meningitis have been reported. Among opportunistic infections, TB, multidermatomal herpes zoster, oral/oesophageal candidiasis, and cryptococcosis have been reported with upadacitinib. Prior to initiating upadacitinib, consider the risks and benefits of treatment in patients with chronic or recurrent infection or with a history of a serious or opportunistic infection, in patients who have been exposed to TB or have resided or travelled in areas of endemic TB or endemic mycoses, and in patients with underlying conditions that may predispose them to infection. Upadacitinib therapy should be interrupted if a patient develops a serious or opportunistic infection. As there is a higher incidence of infections in patients ≥65 years of age, caution should be used when treating this population.

Patients should be screened for TB before starting upadacitinib therapy. Anti-TB therapy should be considered prior to initiation of upadacitinib in patients with previously untreated latent TB or in patients with risk factors for TB infection.

Viral reactivation, including cases of herpes zoster, were reported in clinical studies. The risk of herpes zoster appears to be higher in Japanese patients treated with upadacitinib. Consider interruption of therapy if a patient develops herpes zoster until the episode resolves. Screening for viral hepatitis and monitoring for reactivation should be performed before starting and during therapy with upadacitinib.

The use of live, attenuated vaccines during, or immediately prior to therapy is not recommended. It is recommended that patients be brought up to date with all immunizations, including prophylactic zoster vaccinations, prior to initiating upadacitinib, in agreement with current immunization guidelines.

The risk of malignancies, including lymphoma is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Immunomodulatory medicinal products may increase the risk of malignancies, including lymphoma. The clinical data are currently limited and long-term studies are ongoing. Malignancies, including non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), have been reported in patients treated with upadacitinib. Consider the risks and benefits of upadacitinib treatment prior to initiating therapy in patients with a known malignancy other than a successfully treated NMSC or when considering continuing upadacitinib therapy in patients who develop a malignancy. Periodic skin examination is recommended for patients who are at increased risk for skin cancer.

Absolute neutrophil count <1000 cells/mm³, absolute lymphocyte count <500 cells/mm³, or haemoglobin levels <8 g/dL were reported in <1% of patients in clinical trials. Treatment should not be initiated, or should be temporarily interrupted, in patients with these haematological abnormalities observed during routine patient management.

RA patients have an increased risk for cardiovascular disorders. Patients treated with upadacitinib should have risk factors (e.g., hypertension, hyperlipidaemia) managed as part of usual standard of care.

Upadacitinib treatment was associated with increases in lipid parameters, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The effect of these lipid parameter elevations on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has not been determined.

Treatment with upadacitinib was associated with an increased incidence of liver enzyme elevation compared to placebo. If increases in ALT or AST are observed during routine patient management and drug-induced liver injury is suspected, upadacitinib therapy should be interrupted until this diagnosis is excluded.

Events of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) have been reported in patients receiving JAK inhibitors, including upadacitinib. Upadacitinib should be used with caution in patients at high risk for DVT/PE. Risk factors that should be considered in determining the patient's risk for DVT/PE include older age, obesity, a medical history of DVT/PE, patients undergoing major surgery, and prolonged immobilisation. If clinical features of DVT/PE occur, upadacitinib treatment should be discontinued and patients should be evaluated promptly, followed by appropriate treatment.

The most commonly reported adverse drug reactions were upper respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, nausea, blood creatine phosphokinase (CPK) increased and cough. The most common serious adverse reactions were serious infections.

Overall, the safety profile observed in patients with active psoriatic arthritis treated with upadacitinib 15 mg was consistent with rheumatoid arthritis. A higher incidence of acne and bronchitis was observed in patients treated with upadacitinib compared to placebo. A higher rate of serious infections and hepatic transaminase elevations was observed in patients treated with upadacitinib in combination with MTX compared to monotherapy. There was a higher rate of serious infections in patients ≥65 years of age, although data are limited.

Overall, the safety profile observed in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis treated with upadacitinib 15 mg was consistent with the safety profile observed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. No new safety findings were identified.

Please see the full SmPC for complete prescribing information at www.EMA.europa.eu. 

Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information.

About SKYRIZI^® (risankizumab) in the European Union¹⁷
SKYRIZI (risankizumab) is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Important EU Safety Information about SKYRIZI^® (risankizumab)¹⁷
SKYRIZI is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients. SKYRIZI may increase the risk of infection. In patients with a chronic infection, a history of recurrent infection, or known risk factors for infection, SKYRIZI should be used with caution. Treatment with SKYRIZI should not be initiated in patients with any clinically important active infection until the infection resolves or is adequately treated.

Prior to initiating treatment with SKYRIZI, patients should be evaluated for tuberculosis (TB) infection. Patients receiving SKYRIZI should be monitored for signs and symptoms of active TB. Anti-TB therapy should be considered prior to initiating SKYRIZI in patients with a past history of latent or active TB in whom an adequate course of treatment cannot be confirmed.

Prior to initiating therapy with SKYRIZI, completion of all appropriate immunizations should be considered according to current immunization guidelines. If a patient has received live vaccination (viral or bacterial), it is recommended to wait at least 4 weeks prior to starting treatment with SKYRIZI. Patients treated with SKYRIZI should not receive live vaccines during treatment and for at least 21 weeks after treatment.

The most frequently reported adverse reactions were upper respiratory infections, which occurred in 13 percent of patients. Commonly (greater than or equal to 1/100 to less than 1/10) reported adverse reactions included tinea infections, headache, pruritus, fatigue and injection site reactions.

This is not a complete summary of all safety information. See SKYRIZI full summary of product characteristics (SmPC) at www.ema.europa.eu.

Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information. 

About AbbVie in Gastroenterology

With a robust clinical trial program, AbbVie is committed to cutting-edge research to drive exciting developments in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. By innovating, learning and adapting, AbbVie aspires to eliminate the burden of IBD and make a positive long-term impact on the lives of people with IBD. For more information on AbbVie in gastroenterology, visit https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/therapeutic-focus-areas/immunology/immunology-focus-areas/gastroenterology.html.

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, failure to realize the expected benefits from AbbVie's acquisition of Allergan plc ("Allergan"), failure to promptly and effectively integrate Allergan's businesses, competition from other products, challenges to intellectual property, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry and the impact of public health outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics, such as COVID-19. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

References:

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9. Pipeline – Our Science | AbbVie. AbbVie. 2021. Available at: https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/pipeline.html. Accessed on June 21, 2021.
10. A Study to Compare Safety and Efficacy of Upadacitinib to Dupilumab in Adult Participants With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis (Heads Up). ClinicalTrials.gov. 2021. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03738397. Accessed on June 21, 2021.
11. A Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Upadacitinib in Adult Participants With Axial Spondyloarthritis (SELECT AXIS 2). ClinicalTrials.gov. 2021. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04169373. Accessed on June 21, 2021.
12. A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of ABT-494 for the Induction of Symptomatic and Endoscopic Remission in Subjects With Moderately to Severely Active Crohn's Disease Who Have Inadequately Responded to or Are Intolerant to Immunomodulators or Anti-TNF Therapy. ClinicalTrials.gov. 2021. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02365649. Accessed on Accessed on June 21, 2021.
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15. A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Upadacitinib in Subjects With Takayasu Arteritis (TAK) (SELECT-TAK). ClinicalTrials.gov. 2021. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04161898. Accessed on June 21, 2021.
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SOURCE AbbVie

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