INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to compare adalimumab or golimumab with 
infliximab in patients with moderately-to-severely active ulcerative colitis 
(UC).
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This paper was prepared according to the PRISMA 
guidelines. The systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, 
and Cochrane Library. No direct head-to-head comparisons for infliximab vs. 
adalimumab or golimumab were available so an indirect comparison according to 
the Bucher method was performed after a homogeneity evaluation of the included 
studies.
RESULTS: Six RCTs were included in the systematic review. An indirect comparison 
was performed, which revealed that infliximab was more effective in inducing 
clinical response compared with both doses of adalimumab (160/80 mg or 80/40 mg; 
p < 0.05), and, in clinical remission, infliximab was more effective than 
adalimumab (only for a dosage regime of 80/40 mg; p < 0.05). No statistically 
significant differences in clinical response and clinical remission were 
observed between infliximab and golimumab in the induction phase. A significant 
(p < 0.05) advantage only of infliximab compared with adalimumab at doses of 
80/40 mg and 80/160 mg was seen in terms of clinical response in the maintenance 
phase (up to 52-54 weeks). The indirect comparison revealed that serious adverse 
events were significantly more frequent among patients treated with a 
maintenance dose of 100 mg of golimumab compared with those treated with 
infliximab (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences in efficacy in the maintenance phase 
between infliximab and golimumab or adalimumab were revealed. Infliximab proved 
to be more effective than adalimumab but of similar efficacy to that of 
golimumab in the induction phase.