Characterization and Impact of Upadacitinib on patients with Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease in the Real World: Findings from TARGET-GASTRO.

Challenge

Upadacitinib received approval for Crohn's disease including fistulizing phenotypes, but real-world data on its effectiveness and patient characteristics in fistulizing CD—outside the controlled conditions of registration trials—were limited, constraining prescriber confidence and payer reimbursement arguments.

Solution

The TARGET-IBD registry was used to characterize patients with fistulizing CD initiating upadacitinib, describing baseline disease severity, prior treatment history, and longitudinal outcomes including fistula response and endoscopic remission in usual US clinical practice.

Impact

Providing real-world effectiveness evidence for upadacitinib in fistulizing CD supports AbbVie's commercial strategy, informs prescriber adoption in this high-need phenotype, and strengthens the post-authorization evidence base for JAK inhibitor use in complicated Crohn's disease.