Eli Lilly Mirikizumab helps patients with Crohn's Disease achieve long-term Remission in Phase 3 trial

Crohn's disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can cause systemic inflammation manifested as abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever and weight loss. It can lead to intestinal obstruction, fibrosis and other complications.

In VIVID-1, all patients in the active treatment arms from the 12-week induction period continued with their original therapy into the maintenance portion of the study up to Week 52. Placebo patients who did not achieve clinical response at Week 12 (nonresponders) were switched to blinded mirikizumab treatment.

The study included co-primary endpoints, which were:

• Proportion of participants achieving clinical response by patient reported outcomes (PRO)* at Week 12 and clinical remission (defined as a Crohn's Disease Activity Index [CDAI] Total Score <150) at Week 52 compared to placebo
  • In the mirikizumab arm, a statistically higher proportion achieved clinical response at Week 12 and clinical remission at Week 52 compared to placebo (45.4% versus 19.6%, p<0.000001)
• Proportion of participants achieving clinical response by PRO at Week 12 and endoscopic response (defined as ≥50% reduction from baseline in Simple Endoscopic Score – Crohn's Disease [SES-CD] Total Score) at Week 52 compared to placebo
  • In the mirikizumab arm, a statistically higher proportion achieved clinical response at Week 12 and endoscopic response at Week 52 compared to placebo (38.0% versus 9.0%, p<0.000001)

In this double-blind placebo and active controlled trial – the first reported for an IL-23p19 antibody – mirikizumab achieved all individual and composite major secondary endpoints at Week 52 compared to placebo (p<0.000001). Notably, of the patients who received mirikizumab, 54.1% achieved clinical remission at Week 52 compared to 19.6% of patients who received placebo (p<0.000001). In addition, for the endpoint of clinical remission (defined as CDAI <150), mirikizumab demonstrated non-inferiority versus ustekinumab (non-inferiority margin of 10%). For the endpoint of endoscopic response (≥50% reduction from baseline in SES-CD Total Score) at Week 52, mirikizumab did not achieve superiority to ustekinumab although results with mirikizumab were numerically higher, particularly in the non-multiplicity controlled bio-failed population.

"I'm excited by these results, which showed more than half of patients on mirikizumab achieved clinical remission as measured by CDAI at one year. Furthermore, mirikizumab demonstrated robust efficacy across subgroups and particularly in patients for whom prior biologic therapy had failed," said Lotus Mallbris, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president of immunology development at Lilly. "Many people are seeking relief from their uncontrolled Crohn's disease, including those still experiencing symptoms with available therapies such as TNF inhibitors. Helping patients achieve long-term clinical remission is what inspires us to develop innovative treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis."

The overall safety was consistent with the known safety profile of mirikizumab. The frequency of serious adverse events was greater in placebo than mirikizumab. No major adverse cardiac events were observed in the mirikizumab arm.

With these data, Lilly plans to submit a marketing application for mirikizumab in Crohn's disease to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), followed by submissions to other regulatory agencies around the world, in 2024. Full data from the Phase 3 VIVID program will be disclosed in publications and at upcoming congresses.

*Clinical response by PRO is defined as ≥30% decrease in stool frequency and/or abdominal pain, and neither score worse than baseline.