Subcutaneous infliximab for maintenance therapy in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Douglas Amaral da Silva Menegazzo Miotto, Isabela Ovídio Ramos, Caroline Molina Grassi
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous infliximab for maintenance therapy in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease. Analyzing five cohorts comprising 162 patients, the study found a treatment persistence rate of 89.8% and a clinical remission rate of 90.2% at approximately six months follow-up. The evidence quality was rated low to very low.
Key findings
- Treatment persistence was 89.8% (95% CI 72.6-99.0) over a median follow-up of about 6 months.
- Clinical remission at the closest timepoint to 6 months was 90.2% (61.3-100).
- Serum infliximab concentration roughly doubled from a pooled mean of 11.4 to 21.9 µg/mL.
- Serious adverse events occurred in 1.5% of patients.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that subcutaneous infliximab may be an effective maintenance therapy option for pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease, potentially improving treatment adherence and outcomes.
What to keep in mind
The certainty of evidence was low to very low, and the data primarily reflect patients switched from intravenous therapy while in remission.