Feasibility Pilot Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) for Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis

Exclusion Criteria48

• Presence of indeterminate colitis, microscopic colitis, ischemic colitis, infectious colitis, or clinical findings suggestive of Crohn's disease
• On IV corticosteroids for ≥ 72 hours prior to enrollment continuously (at any institution)
• Currently pregnant or breastfeeding
• Patients who meet diagnostic criteria for toxic megacolon during this current admission. This will be determined by the study team and inpatient treatment team according to the following supportive criteria: Having dilation of the colon \> 6m and three of the following (Temperature\>38C, HR \>120 BPM, WBC\>10500/µL, Hemoglobin \< 10.5mg/dL) and one of the following (dehydration, altered mental status, severe electrolyte disturbances, and hypotension)
• Known hypersensitivity to any of the following drugs or constituents: methylprednisolone, cyclosporine, tofacitinib, or upadacitinib
• Patients who had previous exposure to upadacitinib. Previous exposure to other Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (eg, tofacitinib, baricitinib, or filgotinib) are permissible.
• Patients with ongoing severe infection (as determined by the study team), including untreated or inadequately treated latent or active tuberculosis (TB)
• Active CMV colitis is defined as having \> 5 CMV inclusion bodies per high powered field in any one ulcer at baseline. If CMV colitis is confirmed, the patient can remain in the trial if permissible by the infectious disease and primary treatment team and if concomitant anti-viral therapy is initiated.
• Patients with a positive stool exam for enteric pathogens can remain in the trial. Initiation of treatment at the discretion of the treatment team and infectious disease team if needed.
• Patients who had received any investigational agent or procedure within 30 days or five half-lives prior to baseline, whichever is longer, or were enrolled in an interventional study
• Current malignancy with the exception of non-metastatic basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.
• Patients who had a history of colectomy (total or subtotal), ileoanal pouch, Kock pouch, or ileostomy or were planning bowel surgery
• Moderate or severe renal, hematological, gastrointestinal, metabolic, endocrine, pulmonary, cardiac, neurological, or psychiatric condition including the following:
• Neutropenia - ANC \<1200 cells/mm3 or Total white blood cell count \<2500/µL
• Hemoglobin \< 8mg/dL
• Platelet count \<80,000/µL
• Moderate/severe renal impairment with eGFR \<30mL/min/1.73m2 (by simplified four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal)
• ALT and AST liver biochemistry levels that are ≥ 2 times the upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Cirrhosis with mild to severe hepatic impairment (defined as a Child-Pugh score ≥5)
• History of uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure \>160mmHg or diastolic blood pressure \> 100mmHg despite anti-hypertensives)
• Any of the following cardiovascular conditions:
• Recent (within previous 6 months) cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, or coronary stenting
• Recent (within previous 6 months) moderate-to-severe congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association class III or IV)
• History of inherited or acquired conditions that predispose to hypercoagulability including the following. Please note, that patients with a remote history of provoked thrombotic event or recent thrombotic event on systemic anticoagulation are NOT exclusionary.
• Antiphospholipid syndrome
• Factor V Leiden mutation
• Prothrombin G20210A mutations
• Deficiencies of antithrombin
• f. Deficiency of protein C g. Deficiency of protein S h. Heparin cofactor II deficiency i. Plasminogen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 j. Dysfibrinogenemia k. Factor XII deficiency
• Patients with total cholesterol \<80 mg/dL at baseline
• Patients who had a history of an allergic reaction or significant sensitivity to constituents of the treatment (and its excipients) and/or other products in the same class of medication (ex., tofacitinib)
• Patients who had hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection defined as:
• HBV: hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive with detectable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) not on therapy. Patients with serologic evidence of a resolved prior HBV infection (i.e., HBsAg-negative and anti-HB Core-positive) or patients with HBsAg positive on suppressive HBV therapy with low DNA (\<105 copies/mL or \<104 IU/mL negative) are not exclusionary
• HCV: HCV ribonucleic acid detectable in any patient with anti-HCV antibody
• HIV: Confirmed positive anti-HIV antibody with CD4 counts \<350 cells/uL or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)- defining opportunist infection
• Solid organ or bone marrow transplant within 1 year or expected transplant within 6 months
• History of more than one episode of herpes zoster, a history of disseminated herpes zoster or disseminated herpes simplex
• Current use of medications which significantly increase the risk of venous thromboembolic event as determined by the investigator including:
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Testosterone
• Tamoxifen
• Vaccination with live or attenuated live vaccines within 6 weeks of baseline or scheduled to receive these vaccines during study period or within 140 days (20 weeks) after last dose of study medication.
• History of any lymphoproliferative disorder (such as EBV-related lymphoproliferative disorder), history of lymphoma, leukemia, myeloproliferative disorders, multiple myeloma, or signs and symptoms suggestive of current hematologic disease.
• Patients who had a history of spontaneous GI perforation (other than appendicitis or mechanical injury), diverticulitis, or significantly increased risk of GI perforation per investigator's judgement
• Actively receiving strong CYP3A4 inducers or inhibitors prior to the first dose of study drug or are expected to receive any of these medications during the study period. This includes grapefruit and grapefruit juice.
• The presence of any condition possibly affecting oral drug absorption (e.g., gastrectomy, clinically significant diabetic gastroenteropathy, or certain types of bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass). Procedures such as gastric banding that simply divide the stomach into separate chambers are NOT exclusionary.
• Patients who had a history of a clinically significant medical condition or any other reason which, in the opinion of the investigator, would have interfered with the patient's participation in this study, would have made the patient an unsuitable candidate to receive treatment, or would have put the patient at risk by participating in the protocol
• \. Non-clinicians not caring for the enrolled patient