Efficacy and safety of Advanced Combination Treatment in immune-mediated inflammatory disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Advanced combination treatment (ACT), defined as a combination of at least 2 biologic agents, a biologic agent and an oral small molecule, 2 oral small molecules drug with different mechanisms of action is a proposed strategy to improve outcomes in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ACT with monotherapy in patients with select IMIDs. Through a systematic literature search, we identified 10 RCTs (n = 1154) comparing ACT with single agent therapy (monotherapy). The primary outcome was induction of clinical remission. Secondary outcomes were adverse events, serious adverse events, infections, and serious infections. We performed random-effects meta-analysis and used GRADE to appraise certainty of evidence. Eight out of 10 trials investigated an anti-TNF-α drug (e.g., etanercept, infliximab, golimumab, certolizumab) combined with another biologic (e.g anti-IL-23, anti-integrin, anti-IL-1) or an oral small molecule. There was no significant difference in the likelihood of achieving clinical remission with ACT vs. monotherapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 7 RCTs) (RR, 1.75 [95 % CI 0.60–5.13]; moderate heterogeneity (I 2 = 33 %)] and systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 1) (RR, 1.20 [0.53–2.72]) (GRADE; low certainty evidence). Patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the ACT arm were more likely to experience adverse events (RR, 1.07 [1.01–1.12]) compared to monotherapy. ACT led to higher rates of induction of clinical remission in patients with IBD (n = 2 RCTs) (RR, 1.68 [1.15–2.46]) with minimal heterogeneity (I 2 = 15 %) (GRADE; low certainty evidence), and no differences in the likelihood of adverse events (RR 0.92 [0.80–1.05]). There were no differences in the risk of infections or serious infections in patients treated with ACT or monotherapy with rheumatological disease or IBD. ACT did not offer clinical benefit in patients with rheumatological IMIDs and resulted in higher rate adverse events in rheumatoid arthritis. ACT may offer clinical benefit without a clear safety signal in patients with IBD, but further trials are warranted. The variability in ACT regimens across studies limits the generalizability of these findings. • ACT combining biologics or a biologic with a small molecule, emerged as a promising strategy in other medical fields. • This meta-analysis provides a comprehensive evaluation of the clinical efficacy and safety profiles in IMID RCTs. • In rheumatological conditions, ACT did not demonstrate a clear benefit over monotherapy. • In IBD, ACT significantly induced clinical remission without a corresponding increase in adverse events or infections. • Future research should focus on optimizing ACT, understanding disease-specific mechanisms, and long-term outcomes.

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