Outcomes of early vs. delayed advanced therapy among patients with moderate ulcerative colitis in the United States: TARGET-IBD.

Challenge

Moderate UC is a frequently overlooked population—often grouped with severe disease—yet real-world evidence on whether early versus delayed advanced therapy initiation meaningfully affects endoscopic remission in this specific group was lacking, leaving a gap in treat-to-target guidance for this population.

Solution

The TARGET-IBD registry was used to compare the probability of endoscopic remission between early (<2 years from diagnosis) and delayed (>2 years) advanced therapy initiators among patients with moderate UC, using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models.

Impact

Demonstrating that early advanced therapy initiation more than doubles the likelihood of endoscopic remission in moderate UC provides the real-world treat-to-target evidence needed to justify earlier escalation in this overlooked population, directly supporting Bristol Myers Squibb's label strategy and prescriber messaging.