| Literature DB >> 29391775 |
Yi-Hsing Chen1, Hellen Mds de Carvalho2, Umut Kalyoncu3, Lyndon John Q Llamado4, Gaston Solano5, Ron Pedersen6, Galina Lukina7, Juan J Lichauco8, Radu S Vasilescu9.
Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors are increasingly becoming the standard of care for treating a number of inflammatory diseases. However, treatment with TNF-α inhibitors carries an inherent risk of compromising the immune system, resulting in an increased susceptibility to infections and malignancies. This increased risk of infection is of particular concern in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America where tuberculosis (TB) and viral hepatitis are endemic. In this brief review, we examine the literature and review the impact of TNF-α inhibitors on the incidence and the reactivation of latent disease with respect to TB, hepatitis C infection, and hepatitis B infection. Our findings show that TNF-α inhibitors are generally safe, if used with caution. Patients should be screened prior to the initiation of TNF-α inhibitor treatment and given prophylactic treatment if needed. In addition, patients should be monitored during treatment with TNF-α inhibitors and after treatment has stopped to ensure that infections, if detected, are treated promptly and effectively. Our analysis is consistent with other reports and guidelines.Entities:
Keywords: hepatitis B; hepatitis C; reactivation; risk; tuberculosis; tumor necrosis factor inhibitors
Year: 2018 PMID: 29391775 PMCID: PMC5769557 DOI: 10.2147/BTT.S148606
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Biologics ISSN: 1177-5475
Risk of tuberculosis associated with TNF-α inhibitor treatment
| Drug | Study details | Outcomes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infliximab | Analysis of reports of TB in the FAERS MedWatch program from 1998 to May 29, 2001( | 70 reported cases of TB after treatment with infliximab for a median of 12 weeks; in 48 patients, TB developed after ≤3 infusions; 40 patients had extrapulmonary disease | |
| Infliximab, adalimumab, both | 873 IBD subjects treated with TNF-α inhibitors from January 2001 to December 2013 | 25 newly developed TB cases; adjusted SIR, 41.7 (95% CI: 25.3–58.0%); 19 patients developed TB within 2–62 months of treatment initiation; treatment with infliximab was a significant predictor of TB ( | |
| Infliximab, adalimumab | Retrospective analysis of serious infections within 6 months of initiation of TNF-α inhibitor therapy | TB occurred in 3/175 patients; none treated with anti-TB chemoprophylaxis prior to treatment with TNF-α inhibitor | |
| Infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept | Incidence study and case-control analysis to determine risk of TB in patients treated with TNF-α inhibitor in the French RATIO registry over 3 years | No patient received anti-TB chemoprophylaxis; overall adjusted SIR (95% CI), 12.2 (9.7–15.5%); for infliximab, 18.6 (13.4–25.8%); adalimumab, 29.3 (20.3–42.4%); etanercept, 1.8 (0.7–4.3%); treatment with infliximab or adalimumab versus etanercept was an independent risk factor for TB with OR (95% CI) 13.3 (2.6–69.0%) and 17.1 (3.6–80.6%), respectively | |
| Infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept | Review of medical records from 2002 to 2009 among patients with AS treated with other agents (n=919) or TNF-α inhibitors (n=354) for new cases of TB; reference data from the Korean National Tuberculosis Association | Mean TB incidence rate per 100,000 PY =69.8 in general population versus 308 in AS patients treated with other agents versus 561 in AS patients treated with TNF-α inhibitors. Incidence rates for infliximab, 540; adalimumab, 490; etanercept, 0 | |
| TNF-α inhibitors | Retrospective analysis of 949 patients treated with TNF-α inhibitors at the Yonsei University Health System from 2005 to 2012 evaluating incidence of active TB between LTBI-positive (n=256) and -negative patients (n=521) | Active TB incidence rate per 100,000 PY =1,107 in LTBI-positive patients; 490 in LTBI-negative patients | |
| TNF-α inhibitors | Literature review of articles published in PubMed from January 2000 to October 2011 and data from China Hospital Knowledge Database; RA and AS patients from Africa, Middle East, and Asia | Risk for active TB and other infections increased in patients receiving TNF-α inhibitors; risk is higher among those treated with monoclonal antibodies versus soluble TNF-α receptor | |
| Infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept | ARI of TB was estimated using published SIR from the French RATIO registry and incidence of TB. The NNH for each TNF-α inhibitor and the NNT to reduce 1 TB event using etanercept instead of adalimumab or infliximab were calculated | The ARI of TB with anti-TNF-α therapies in Asian countries is substantially higher than Western Europe and North America. NNH ranges were 8–163 for adalimumab, 126–2,646 for etanercept, and 12–256 for infliximab. The NNT to reduce 1 TB event using etanercept instead of adalimumab ranged from 8 to 173 and using etanercept instead of infliximab from 13 to 283 | |
| Adalimumab, etanercept | Retrospective cohort study on RA patients treated with TNF-α inhibitors from 2006 to 2008 using data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance claims databases. Primary outcome: active TB; TB risk estimated using Cox’s proportional hazard model | Active TB rates per 100,000 PY were 1,411.3 for patients treated with adalimumab and 679.5 for patients treated with etanercept. Patients treated with TNF-α inhibitors had a higher risk of TB (aHR 4.87 [95% CI: 2.14–11.06%]) |
Abbreviations: aHR, adjusted hazard ratio; ARI, absolute risk increase; AS, ankylosing spondylitis; CI, confidence interval; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; LTBI, latent TB infection; NNH, number needed to harm; NNT, number needed to treat; OR, odds ratio; PY, patient year(s); RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SIR, standardized incidence ratio; TB, tuberculosis; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α.
Risk of hepatitis C reinfection associated with TNF-α inhibitor treatment
| Drug | Study details | Outcomes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adalimumab, etanercept | Retrospective analysis determining the rate of HCV or HBV reinfection in RA patients with prior HCV or HBV infection | No cases of HCV or HBV reactivation in any patients. Increased transaminases observed in slightly over 20% of patients, which was associated with concomitant DMARD use, isoniazid prophylaxis, or alcohol abuse | |
| TNF-α inhibitors | Retrospective analysis of viral load and liver enzymes in PsA patients with concurrent HCV infection | In most patients, viral load and liver enzymes remained stable through 12 months of observation | |
| Adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab | Evaluation of RA patients with concurrent HCV infection treated with TNF-α inhibitors at standard doses | Patients exhibited improvements in all RA-related disease characteristics and general health with benefits persisting up to 22 months of follow-up. There were no significant changes in viral load or liver enzymes | |
| Etanercept | Prospective, open-label evaluation of RA patients with concurrent HCV infection treated with etanercept, methotrexate, or combination of the two drugs | Patients exhibited improvements in all RA-related disease characteristics. There were no significant changes in viral load or liver enzymes in any of the three treatment arms | |
| Etanercept, infliximab | Retrospective survey of RA patients with concurrent HCV infection treated with etanercept or infliximab | There were no significant changes in viral load or liver enzymes in response to treatment with TNF-α inhibitors | |
| Adalimumab, etanercept | Retrospective analysis of plaque psoriasis patients with concurrent HCV and/or HBV infection | There were no significant changes in viral load or liver enzymes in response to treatment with TNF-α inhibitors |
Abbreviations: DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; PsA, psoriatic arthritis; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α.
Risk of hepatitis B reinfection associated with TNF-α inhibitor treatment
| Drug | Study details | Outcomes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adalimumab, etanercept | Retrospective analysis determining the rate of HCV or HBV reinfection in RA patients with prior HCV or HBV infection | No cases of HCV or HBV reactivation in any patients. Increased transaminases observed in slightly over 20% of patients, which was associated with concomitant DMARD use, isoniazid prophylaxis, or alcohol abuse | |
| Adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab | Determination of rate of HBV reactivation in patients, with RA or spondyloarthropathy previously infected with HBV, treated with one or more TNF-α inhibitors | No cases of reactivation observed | |
| TNF-α inhibitors | Retrospective evaluation of HBV reactivation in patients with rheumatic diseases treated with TNF-α inhibitors | Reactivation occurred in 1/8 patients who were inactive HBV surface antigen carriers | |
| TNF-α inhibitors | Retrospective review to determine HBV reactivation in RA patients treated with TNF-α inhibitors | There were no cases of HBV reactivation in patients receiving prophylactic antiviral therapy. In patients not receiving antiviral therapy, HBV reactivation occurred in 5/8 (62.5%) patients | |
| Adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab | Meta-analysis to measure HBV reactivation in TNF-α inhibitor-treated patients with rheumatic diseases who were occult carriers of HBV | HBV reactivation was observed in 8/468 (1.7%) patients | |
| Adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab | Systematic review to evaluate HBV reactivation in TNF-α inhibitor-treated patients with rheumatic diseases who were occult carriers of HBV | HBV reactivation was observed in 15/122 (39.3%) patients | |
| TNF-α inhibitors | Systematic analysis to evaluate HBV reactivation in patients who were occult carriers of HBV treated with TNF-α inhibitors | HBV reactivation was reported in 35/89 (39%) patients positive for HBV surface antigen. HBV reactivation was higher in patients previously treated with immunosuppressive agents and lower in those who received antiviral prophylaxis | |
| Adalimumab, etanercept | Retrospective analysis of plaque psoriasis patients with concurrent HCV and/or HBV infection | There were no significant changes in viral load or liver enzymes in response to treatment with TNF-α inhibitors | |
| TNF-α inhibitors | Prospective study determining HBV reactivation in patients with chronic HBV infection, resolved HBV infection, or vaccinated against HBV | HBV reactivation observed in only one patient due to the emergence of lamivudine-resistant mutant strain of virus. No other incidence of HBV reactivation observed | |
| TNF-α inhibitors | Assessment of HBV reactivation in patients with inflammatory arthritis treated with TNF-α inhibitors | HBV reactivation observed in 2/6 patients with chronic HBV infection who received no antiviral prophylaxis, but not in the other four patients who did. In 31 inactive carriers, increase in viral load was observed in 6/22 (27.3%) patients without antiviral prophylaxis, but no increase in the nine patients who received it. No HBV reactivation observed in 50 patients with resolved HBV infection | |
| TNF-α inhibitors | Retrospective analysis of HBsAg-positive patients who received DMARDs | HBV reactivation was demonstrated in ~17% of patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment, 12% of patients receiving antiviral prophylaxis, and 24% of patients not receiving antiviral prophylaxis | |
| Infliximab | Retrospective analysis of RA patients treated with infliximab with prior exposure to HBV | There was no statistically significant difference in liver enzymes between infliximab-treated patients with prior exposure to HBV and those without such exposure |
Abbreviations: DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HBsAg, hepatitis B surface antigen; HCV, hepatitis C virus; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α.
Treatment recommendations
| Infection | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TB/LTBI | 1. Screen for latent infection or exposure, eg, via immunization | 1. Screening with at least TST, preferably followed with IGRA for patients previously exposed or immunized with BCG |
| HCV | 1. Consult with hepatologist if antiviral prophylaxis is needed | 1. If prophylactic treatment is not used, patient must be monitored more closely |
| HBV | 1. Test for HBsAg to determine whether prophylactic antiviral treatment is needed | 1. If prophylactic treatment is not used, patient must be monitored more closely |
Abbreviations: BCG, Bacillus Calmette–Guérin; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HBsAg, hepatitis B surface antigen; HCV, hepatitis C virus; IGRA, interferon gamma release assay; LTBI, latent tuberculosis infection; TB, tuberculosis; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; TST, tuberculin skin test.