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Dupixent® (dupilumab) Late-breaking Phase 3 COPD Results Presented at ATS and Simultaneously Published in the New England Journal of Medicine

Published: 2023-05-21 18:18:00 ET
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Dupixent is the first and only investigational biologic for COPD that has demonstrated a significant reduction in moderate or severe acute exacerbations by 30% compared to placebo

Dupixent is the first and only investigational biologic for COPD that has significantly improved lung function at 12 and 52 weeks, with numerical improvements seen as early as 2 weeks

Dupixent significantly improved quality of life, with numerical improvements as early as 4 weeks after initiating treatment, and respiratory symptoms

COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide, with no new treatment approaches approved in more than a decade; trial enrolled patients with moderate-to-severe disease and evidence of type 2 inflammation (i.e., blood eosinophils ≥300 cells/µL)

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and PARIS, May 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Sanofi today presented positive Phase 3 results evaluating the investigational use of Dupixent® (dupilumab) compared to placebo in adults currently on maximal standard-of-care inhaled therapy (triple therapy) with uncontrolled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and evidence of type 2 inflammation. The Dupixent Phase 3 results were presented in the 2023 American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference session “New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. Discussion on the Edge: Reports of Recently Published Pulmonary Research” and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). These results will also be presented in the “Breaking News: Clinical Trial Results in Pulmonary Medicine” session on May 22.

“I've seen patients with uncontrolled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease struggle for far too long with the debilitating symptoms of this progressive disease – with limited, incremental improvement on current treatment options,” said Surya Bhatt, M.D., MSPH, Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, and a co-principal investigator of the trial. “This trial showed that dupilumab has the potential to impact the vicious cycle of exacerbations and lung function decline in patients with uncontrolled COPD with type 2 inflammation, and significantly improve respiratory symptoms. Dupilumab also helped improve health-related quality of life measures, which, from my years of experience as a physician, are just as meaningful for patients as being able to breathe easier.”

COPD is a life-threatening respiratory disease that damages the lungs and causes progressive lung function decline. Symptoms include persistent cough and breathlessness that may not only impair the ability to perform routine daily activities, but can also lead to anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances. COPD is also associated with a significant health and economic burden due to recurrent acute exacerbations that require systemic corticosteroid treatment and/or lead to hospitalization or even death. Smoking and exposure to noxious particles are key risk factors for COPD, but even individuals who quit smoking can still develop or continue having the disease. In the U.S. alone, approximately 300,000 people live with uncontrolled COPD with evidence of type 2 inflammation.

The results presented at ATS and published in NEJM are from the BOREAS trial, which met the primary and all key secondary endpoints. As presented and published, patients receiving Dupixent (n=468) compared to placebo (n=471) added to maximal standard-of-care inhaled triple therapy experienced a:

  • 30% reduction in moderate or severe acute COPD exacerbations over 52 weeks (p