Press Release: Dupixent® (dupilumab) recommended for EU approval by the CHMP for the treatment of prurigo nodularis
Dupixent® (dupilumab) recommended for EU approval by the CHMP for the treatment of prurigo nodularis
- Recommendation is based on data from two pivotal trials showing Dupixent significantly improved itch, skin lesions and health-related quality of life in adults with prurigo nodularis
- If approved, Dupixent would be the first and only targeted medicine specifically indicated for prurigo nodularis in the European Union
Paris and Tarrytown, N.Y. November 11, 2022. The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion, recommending the approval of Dupixent® (dupilumab) in the European Union (EU) to treat adults with moderate-to-severe prurigo nodularis who are candidates for systemic therapy. The European Commission is expected to announce a final decision on the Dupixent application in the coming months. In September 2022, Dupixent was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adult patients with prurigo nodularis.
Prurigo nodularis is a chronic, debilitating skin disease with underlying type 2 inflammation and has one of the highest impacts on a patient’s quality of life among inflammatory skin diseases due to the extreme itch it causes. Those with prurigo nodularis experience intense, persistent itch with thick skin lesions (called nodules) that can cover most of the body. The disease is often painful – with burning, stinging and tingling of the skin – and can negatively affect mental health, activities of daily living and social interactions. High-potency topical steroids are commonly prescribed but are associated with safety risks if used long-term.
The positive CHMP opinion is supported by data from two Phase 3 trials, PRIME and PRIME2, showing Dupixent significantly reduced itch (the primary endpoint) and skin lesions compared to placebo. Dupixent also significantly improved health-related quality of life while reducing measures of skin pain and symptoms of anxiety/depression. The safety results of the trial were generally consistent with the known safety profile of Dupixent in its approved dermatology indication. Adverse events more commonly observed with Dupixent compared to placebo included conjunctivitis.
The use of Dupixent in adults with moderate-to-severe prurigo nodularis is investigational in the EU and is not yet approved.
About Dupixent
Dupixent is a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) pathways and is not an immunosuppressant. The Dupixent development program has shown significant clinical benefit and a decrease in type 2 inflammation in Phase 3 trials, establishing that IL-4 and IL-13 are key and central drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in multiple related and often co-morbid diseases. These diseases include approved indications for Dupixent, such as atopic dermatitis, asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), as well as investigational diseases prurigo nodularis and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) in the EU.
Dupixent has received regulatory approvals in one or more countries around the world for use in certain patients with atopic dermatitis, prurigo nodularis, asthma, CRSwNP or EoE in different age populations. Dupixent is currently approved across these indications in the U.S. and for one or more of these indications in more than 60 countries, including in the European Union and Japan. More than 500,000 patients have been treated with Dupixent globally.
Dupilumab Development Program
Dupilumab is being jointly developed by Sanofi and Regeneron under a global collaboration agreement. To date, dupilumab has been studied across more than 60 clinical trials involving more than 10,000 patients with various chronic diseases driven in part by type 2 inflammation.
In addition to the currently approved indications, Sanofi and Regeneron are studying dupilumab in a broad range of diseases driven by type 2 inflammation or other allergic processes in Phase 3 trials, including pediatric EoE, hand and foot atopic dermatitis, chronic inducible urticaria-cold, chronic spontaneous urticaria, chronic pruritus of unknown origin, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with evidence of type 2 inflammation, chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis, allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and bullous pemphigoid. These potential uses of dupilumab are currently under clinical investigation, and the safety and efficacy in these conditions have not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority.
About Regeneron
Regeneron is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for nearly 35 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to nine FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in development, almost all of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pain, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases and rare diseases.
Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through our proprietary VelociSuite® technologies, such as VelocImmune®, which uses unique genetically humanized mice to produce optimized fully human antibodies and bispecific antibodies, and through ambitious research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center, which is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.
For more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.
About Sanofi
We are an innovative global healthcare company, driven by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. Our team, across some 100 countries, is dedicated to transforming the practice of medicine by working to turn the impossible into the possible. We provide potentially life-changing treatment options and life-saving vaccine protection to millions of people globally, while putting sustainability and social responsibility at the center of our ambitions.
Sanofi is listed on EURONEXT: SAN and NASDAQ: SNY
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