Quantifying Patient Preferences for Risk Tolerance With Novel Dual Biologic Therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) experience treatment failures despite availability of effective advanced biologic and small-molecule therapies with differing mechanisms of action. Dual biologic therapy (DBT) is being explored to improve efficacy outcomes and address unmet needs in this difficult-to-treat population. This study aimed to understand patient preferences for DBT efficacy and risk tolerance.

Built on evidence from existing treatment-preference studies, a focused discrete-choice experiment (DCE) was developed to measure preferences for treatment type, chance of remission, and risk of serious infection. Individuals with a physician-verified diagnosis of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis who had failed or were taking advanced therapy were recruited through an IBD registry. DCE responses were analyzed using a fully correlated random parameters logit model.

The DCE survey was completed by 280 respondents. The majority of respondents were White, female; had been previously hospitalized for IBD; and were receiving biologic monotherapy for their IBD disease. There was no meaningful difference in preference for DBT or monotherapy ( P = 0.25), while there was strong preference to avoid corticosteroids ( P < 0.001). To improve from a 50% to 70% in chance of remission, respondents would accept up to a 17.5% (95% confidence interval 17.0%-18.0%) risk of serious infection.

The findings suggest that patients prefer safe and efficacious treatments and DBT may be an acceptable option for those who have failed an advanced therapy for IBD. We demonstrate the value of building on existing evidence and designing efficient DCE studies to address knowledge gaps to improve IBD care.