OBJECTIVES: As patient preference data become an important component of treatment decision making, this study objective was to investigate treatment preferences for Crohn’s disease (CD) patients who receive advanced therapies in Greece.

METHODS: Between October 2023 and January 2024, adult patients who were members of Hellenic Society of Crohn’s disease’s and Ulcerative Colitis’ patients (HELLESCC) filled out a structured self-questionnaire. The survey questionnaire included, among others, treatment preferences related to mode of administration and clinical features of advanced therapies, namely tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors, anti-integrins, anti-interleukins, and Janus kinase inhibitors. For clinical features, participants were presented with a list of therapeutic attributes that they were asked to rank in order of importance on a 100-point Likert scale. Based on the scores, the relative importance of each therapeutic attribute was estimated. Subgroup analyses within therapeutic classes were also explored.

RESULTS: Among the evaluated therapeutic attributes, preferences were driven by efficacy. Continuous remission after 2 years was ranked highest, with 17.3% relevance for the overall decision. The second most important attribute was remission rate after 1 year (16.4%), followed by mucosal healing (15.7%), and time to first symptomatic improvement (14.7%). The frequency of serious adverse events was associated with 12.9% relevance, whereas lower importance was assigned to administration mode (11.5%) and frequency of non-serious adverse events (11.5%). Pertaining to mode of administration, patients preferred subcutaneous administration (47%), followed by oral (27.5%), and intravenous (12.8%). Longer treatment intervals and fewer administrations were also preferred. No major deviations observed within therapeutic classes.

CONCLUSIONS: For patients who receive advanced therapies in Greece, long-term efficacy and other efficacy outcomes are most important when choosing a therapy, followed by avoidance of serious adverse events. The administration mode was found to be a secondary consideration. Considering patient preferences may improve the effectiveness of available therapies for moderate to severe CD.