Dupilumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that blocks interleukin-4 and interleukin-13, key drivers of type 2 helper T-cell (Th2)–mediated inflammation. It has shown efficacy in patients with asthma and elevated eosinophil levels. In asthma, dupilumab (300 mg) was administered subcutaneously once weekly. The NEJM published the results of 1-month and 3-month trials in which dupilumab resulted in rapid improvement in clinical indexes, biomarker levels, and the transcriptome in adults with atopic dermatitis.
Some of the trials were originally designed primarily for safety analysis but the clinical effects were striking. 85% of patients in the dupilumab group had clinical improvement.
Patients treated with dupilumab had marked and rapid improvement in all the evaluated measures of atopic dermatitis disease activity. The studies were funded by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi.
References:
Dupilumab Treatment in Adults with Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis — NEJM http://buff.ly/VVxQso
Dupilumab as a Treatment for Atopic Dermatitis | Now@NEJM http://buff.ly/VVxVw5
Dupilumab in persistent asthma with elevated eosinophil levels. [N Engl J Med. 2013] - PubMed - NCBI http://buff.ly/U7deMo
Image source: Crystal structure of human IL-4. Wikipedia, public domain.
