Gil Y Melmed, Peter M Irving, Jennifer Jones, Gilaad G Kaplan, Patricia L Kozuch, Fernando S Velayos, Leonard Baidoo, Miles P Sparrow, Brian Bressler, Adam S Cheifetz, Shane M Devlin, Laura E Raffals, Niels Vande Casteele, Diane R Mould, Jean-Fred Colombel, Marla Dubinsky, William J Sandborn, Corey A Siegel
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The availability of tests for blood concentrations of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents and antibodies against these drugs could improve dose selection for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, there is little consensus on when to test and how to interpret test results. We used the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method to determine when these tests are appropriate and how to clinically interpret their results. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search in November 2013 to identify observational or experimental studies of the measurement of anti-TNF drug and antibody concentrations in patients with IBD and interpretation of their results...
September 2016: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology