ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meeting Abstracts
    • All Meetings
    • PRSYM 2026
    • ACR Convergence 2025
    • Download Abstract Supplements
  • Keyword Index
  • My Favorites
    • View & print my favorites
  • Search

Home » Meeting Abstracts » Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium 2017

Abstract Number: 45

Safety of Adalimumab in Pediatric Patients with Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Enthesitis-Related Arthritis, Psoriasis, and Crohn’s Disease

Gerd Horneff1, Marieke M. B. Seyger2, Dilek Arikan3, Jasmina Kalabic4, Jaclyn K. Anderson3, Andreas Lazar5, David A. Williams3, Chen Wang3, Rita Tarzynski-Potempa3 and Jeffrey S. Hyams6, 1Asklepios Clinic, Sankt Augustin, Germany, 2Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands, 3AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, 4AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Ludwigshafen, Germany, 5AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, North ChicagoLudwigshafen, IL, Germany, 6Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford, CT

Share on X (Twitter) Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Email
Print

Meeting: Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium 2017

Keywords: Adalimumab, Enthesis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)

Session Information

Date: Thursday, May 18, 2017

Title: Clinical and Therapeutic Poster Session

Session Type: Abstract Submissions

Session Time: 5:30PM-7:00PM

Background/Purpose:  Adalimumab (ADA) is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor used for treatment of chronic immune diseases. The safety of ADA treatment in pediatric patients (pts) is particularly important since prolonged treatment for these conditions is often required. The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of ADA, alone or in combination with concomitant therapy, in pediatric pts with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA), enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA), psoriasis (Ps), and Crohn’s disease (CD).

Methods:  Safety data from 6 clinical trials and their open-label extension studies were analyzed. Pts treated for pJIA (NCT00048542, NCT00775437, and NCT00690573) and ERA (NCT01166282 [interim week-52 data]) received ADA 24 mg/m2 body surface area every other week (eow) or 20 mg eow (<30 kg) to 40 mg eow (≥30 kg). Pediatric pts treated for Ps (NCT01251614) received ADA 0.4 mg/kg (up to 20 mg) or 0.8 mg/kg (up to 40 mg) at week 0, then eow from week 1. Pediatric pts treated for CD (NCT00409682) received open-label ADA induction therapy (160 mg and 80 mg at weeks 0 and 2, respectively, if ≥40 kg; 80 mg and 40 mg if <40 kg), followed by double-blind maintenance dosing (high dose: 40 mg eow if ≥40 kg or 20 mg eow if <40 kg at week 4; low dose: 20 mg eow if ≥40 kg or 10 mg eow if <40 kg at week 4); weekly dosing was allowed for disease flare at week 12 or later; pts received high-dose eow or weekly ADA during an open-label extension (NCT00686374). Events (E) per 100 pt-years (PY) were calculated using adverse events (AEs) reported after the first ADA study dose through 70 days after the last study dose.

Results:  The analysis included 577 pediatric pts, representing 1440.7 PY of ADA exposure (Table). Over 90% of pts across indications reported treatment-emergent AEs. Common AEs were headache (13.6, 46.9, and 23.4 E/100 PY for pJIA and ERA, Ps, and CD, respectively), nasopharyngitis (12.4, 58.4, and 15.2 E/100 PY, respectively), and upper respiratory tract infection (30.2, 24.7, and 14.8 E/100 PY, respectively). The rates of serious AEs (E/100 PY) were 13.5 for pts with pJIA and ERA, 7.4 for pts with Ps, and 32.2 for pts with CD. One death was reported from an accidental fall (pt with Ps). There were no reports of malignancies, demyelinating disorders, pulmonary embolism, reactivation of hepatitis B, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, or erythema multiforme.

Conclusion:  The safety profile of ADA in pediatric pts with pJIA, ERA, Ps, or CD was similar across indications, and no new safety signals specific to the pediatric population were identified.

Table. Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events Occurring in ≥1% of Patients in Pediatric Adalimumab Clinical Trials

Treatment-Emergent Event

pJIA and ERA
N=274

Exposure, PYs=806.9

Pediatric Ps
N=111

Exposure, PYs=121.5

Pediatric CD
N=192

Exposure, PYs=512.3

N (%)

Events
(Events/100 PY)

N (%)

Events
(Events/100 PY)

N (%)

Events
(Events/100 PY)

Any AE

267 (97.4)

4239 (525.3)

100 (90.1)

630 (518.5)

189 (98.4)

2902 (566.5)

Serious AE

67 (24.5)

109 (13.5)

8 (7.2)

9 (7.4)

92 (47.9)

165 (32.2)

AE leading to discontinuation of ADA

24 (8.8)

31 (3.8)

3 (2.7)

3 (2.5)

61 (31.8)

77 (15.0)

Severe AE

45 (16.4)

67 (8.3)

17 (15.3)

24 (19.8)

67 (34.9)

114 (22.3)

Drug-related† AE

200 (73.0)

1536 (190.4)

48 (43.2)

176 (144.9)

115 (59.9)

621 (121.2)

Infection

224 (81.8)

1216 (150.7)

82 (73.9)

205 (168.7)

145 (75.5)

676 (132.0)

Serious infection

21 (7.7)

22 (2.7)

1 (0.9)

1 (0.8)

25 (13.0)

34 (6.6)

Opportunistic infection (excluding tuberculosis and
oral candidiasis)

0

0

0

0

4 (2.1)

4 (0.8)

Oral candidiasis

2 (0.7)

2 (0.2)

0

0

4 (2.1)

7 (1.4)

Tuberculosis

3 (1.1)

3 (0.4)

2 (1.8)

2 (1.6)

1 (0.5)

1 (0.2)

Active

1 (0.4)

1 (0.1)

0

0

0

0

Latent

2 (0.7)

2 (0.2)

2 (1.8)

2 (1.6)

1 (0.5)

1 (0.2)

Parasitic infection

3 (1.1)

5 (0.6)

0

0

1 (0.5)

1 (0.2)

Allergic reaction‡,§

41 (15.0)

62 (7.7)

7 (6.3)

9 (7.4)

19 (9.9)

25 (4.9)

Intestinal perforation

0

0

0

0

3 (1.6)

3 (0.6)

Intestinal stricture

―

―

―

―

6 (3.1)

6 (1.2)

Worsening/new onset of psoriasis‡

5 (1.8)

6 (0.7)

10 (9.0)

11 (9.1)

6 (3.1)

7 (1.4)

Hematologic disorders||

10 (3.6)

16 (2.0)

2 (1.8)

3 (2.5)

27 (14.1)

36 (7.0)

Liver event¶

5 (1.8)

5 (0.6)

0

0

1 (0.5)

1 (0.2)

Injection site reaction‡

101 (36.9)

844 (104.6)

11 (9.9)

17 (14.0)

42 (21.9)

104 (20.3)

―, analyzed only in the CD population; ADA, adalimumab; AE, adverse event; CD, Crohn’s disease; ERA, enthesitis-related arthritis; pJIA, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis; Ps, psoriasis; PYs, patient-years.

*The ERA study includes interim week-52 data.

†Investigator assessed as possibly or probably related to study drug.

‡None were serious.

§Events included hypersensitivity (n=36), urticaria (n=27), asthma (n=16), eye pruritus (n=3), rash (n=3), bronchospasm (n=2), generalized pruritus (n=2), injection site urticaria (n=2), drug hypersensitivity (n=1), eyelid edema (n=1), generalized rash (n=1), and wheezing (n=1). One event of anaphylactic reaction was reported as an immune system disorder.

||Events included anemia (n=24), leukopenia (n=17), neutropenia (n=10), lymphopenia (n=1), macrocytic anemia (n=1), microcytic anemia (n=1), and pancytopenia (n=1); 10 events were serious (leukopenia, n=2 and neutropenia, n=2 [JIA]; anemia, n=6 [CD]).

¶Events included liver disorder (n=3), hepatotoxicity (n=1), and hepatocellular injury (n=1) in the pJIA and ERA group, and 1 serious event of hepatitis in the CD group.


Disclosure: G. Horneff, 2; M. M. B. Seyger, 2,5,8,9; D. Arikan, 3,1; J. Kalabic, 1; J. K. Anderson, 1,3; A. Lazar, 1,3; D. A. Williams, 1,3; C. Wang, 1,3; R. Tarzynski-Potempa, 1,3; J. S. Hyams, 2,6.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Horneff G, Seyger MMB, Arikan D, Kalabic J, Anderson JK, Lazar A, Williams DA, Wang C, Tarzynski-Potempa R, Hyams JS. Safety of Adalimumab in Pediatric Patients with Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Enthesitis-Related Arthritis, Psoriasis, and Crohn’s Disease [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017; 69 (suppl 4). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/safety-of-adalimumab-in-pediatric-patients-with-polyarticular-juvenile-idiopathic-arthritis-enthesitis-related-arthritis-psoriasis-and-crohns-disease-2/. Accessed .

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/safety-of-adalimumab-in-pediatric-patients-with-polyarticular-juvenile-idiopathic-arthritis-enthesitis-related-arthritis-psoriasis-and-crohns-disease-2/

My Favorites

Save and print abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract (must have cookies enabled in browser). See saved favorites.

Abstract Policies

  • ACR Convergence Abstract Embargo Policies
  • ACR Convergence Abstract Permissions & Reprints
  • PRSYM Abstract Policies

ACR Convergence. Where Rheumatology Meets

ACR Convergence 2026

Join us November 6-11 in Orlando, Florida.
See Registration Information

  • Contact ACR
  • Privacy Policy
  • ACR Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2026 American College of Rheumatology