Adverse Events and Compliance Among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Treated With Home- vs Office-Based Biologic Infusions

Background Biologic medications are a common therapy for those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There are limited data on the outcomes of home-based biologic infusions for patients with IBD. The aim of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of biologic infusions for IBD patients who receive either home- or office-based administration.Methods Patients receiving infliximab or vedolizumab were analyzed retrospectively over a period of 152 weeks. Survival free of major adverse events including delayed infusion reaction, steroid initiation, drug discontinuation, or IBD-related emergency department visits, admission, and surgery were compared using a Kaplan-Meier curve. Individual adverse events, infusion-.related quality measures, and markers of patient adherence were analyzed.Results Adverse event-free survival was greater among those receiving home-based infusion (n = 154) compared with office-based infusion (n = 133). The office infusion cohort had higher rates of delayed infusion reactions (4 vs 0), IBD-related surgery (6 vs 0), and drug discontinuation (44 vs 35); this was a sicker cohort of patients compared with those in the home infusion group. Home infusion patients were less likely to receive correct weight-based dosing for infliximab (71.7% vs 89.3%), obtain labs for drug monitoring (53.2% vs 71.4%), and adhere to routine clinic visits (37.9% vs 58.1%).Conclusions The home-based infusion of biologics for IBD appears safe with lower rates of major adverse events compared with office-based infusions. However, those receiving home infusion were less likely to receive correct weight-based dosing for infliximab and were poorly adherent to routine follow-up. There are higher rates of adverse events among inflammatory bowel disease patients infused with biologics in the office rather than at home. The quality of care delivered and patient adherence to follow-up is reduced among those receiving home infusions.