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. 2023 Jun;8(1):e001303.
doi: 10.1136/bmjophth-2023-001303. Epub 2023 Jun 14.

Systematic review of studies comparing infliximab and adalimumab in autoimmune uveitis

Oliver Mase #  1 , Mustafa Qasem #  2 , Nicholas Beare  3   4
Affiliations

Systematic review of studies comparing infliximab and adalimumab in autoimmune uveitis

Oliver Mase et al. BMJ Open Ophthalmol. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to review effectiveness studies comparing two biological anti-tumour necrosis factor agents, adalimumab (ADA) and infliximab (IFX), in the management of autoimmune uveitis.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar from 2014 until February 2022. The search included the following keywords "Adalimumab", "Infliximab", "Autoimmune", "Anterior", "Intermediate", "Posterior", "Panuveitis", "Refractory" and "Uveitis". Primary studies comparing both ADA and IFX in a population of autoimmune uveitis patients were considered. Outcomes of interest were measures of response to treatment and incidence of adverse events.

Results: The preliminary literature search generated 7156 references. Six studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis; all were non-randomised, retrospective or observational. The included studies found similar effectiveness and side effect profiles for both ADA and IFX in the management of autoimmune uveitis, however, one did not report effectiveness for each separately, and three were limited to Behcet's disease.

Conclusion: ADA and IFX seem to display comparable effectiveness and safety profiles. However, the available evidence remains scarce, of low quality and at high risk of bias. A direct comparison between ADA and IFX through large randomised controlled trials is needed to provide more substantial evidence of equivalence or superiority in uveitis.

Keywords: inflammation; treatment medical.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: NAVB declares a speaker fee from Alimera Sciences in autoimmune uveitis within the last 3 years.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA 2020 flowchart. ADA, adalimumab; IFX, infliximab; PRISMA, Preferred Reporting in Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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