The Nordic IBD Treatment Strategy Trial

Purpose: To demonstrate that personalised therapy can be delivered to patients with IBD, by treating patients with an increased risk of poor disease course, defined by a serum protein signature at diagnosis, with a top-down treatment, and that this treatment strategy improves clinical outcomes. Objectives: Primary objective: To assess if a top-down treatment can improve treatment outcomes in IBD patients with a high risk of poor disease course, defined by a serum protein signature at diagnosis. Secondary objective: To assess if a top-down treatment can improve quality of life and health resource allocation in IBD patients with a high risk of poor disease course, defined by a serum protein signature at diagnosis. Study design: A multi-centre, biomarker-stratified open-label controlled trial, where newly diagnosed IBD patients are randomised (1:1) to a group with access to the protein signature or a group without access to the protein signature. Study subjects within the protein signature arm who display a high-risk protein profile, will be treated according to a top-down treatment algorithm (anti-TNF agent with/without an immunomodulatory) and subjects without access to the protein signature will be treated according to current clinical practice. Study population: Newly diagnosed IBD patients. Number of subjects: 300 Primary variables: Composite of both corticosteroid-free clinical remission and endoscopic remission at Week 52, defined as below. Surgery because of IBD during follow-up will be defined as treatment failure. Ulcerative colitis; * Clinical remission per patient reported Mayo: A stool frequency subscore (SFS) ≤ 1, and not greater than baseline, and a rectal bleeding subscore (RBS) of 0. * Endoscopic remission: An endoscopic Mayo subscore of 0 (OR in patients without endoscopy at week 52, normalization of f-Calprotectin, defined as \< 250μg/g Crohn's disease; * Clinical remission: An average daily Stool Frequency (SF) ≤ 2.8 and not worse than Baseline AND average daily Abdominal Pain (AP) score ≤ 1 and not worse than Baseline. * Endoscopic remission: SES-CD≤2 (OR in patients without endoscopy at week 52, normalization of f-Calprotectin, defined as \< 250μg/g.