Late-breaking Phase 3 Data at AAD 2022 Show Dupixent® (dupilumab) Significantly Improved Signs and Symptoms of Prurigo Nodularis'


(MENAFN- PR Newswire)

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and PARIS, March 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

Dupixent significantly reduced itch at 12 weeks, and at 24 weeks nearly three times as many Dupixent patients experienced clinically meaningful reductions in itch and skin lesions

There are currently no approved systemic treatments for prurigo nodularis; regulatory filings for Dupixent in prurigo nodularis are planned in the first half of 2022

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN ) and Sanofi announced that detailed positive results from the Phase 3 PRIME2 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Dupixent® (dupilumab) were presented today in a late-breaking session at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) 2022 Annual Meeting. The companies previously announced topline results from PRIME2 and a second trial, called PRIME , investigating the use of Dupixent in adults with uncontrolled prurigo nodularis. In both trials, Dupixent significantly reduced itch and skin lesions compared to placebo. In total, 21 scientific abstracts evaluating the safety and efficacy of Dupixent in patients with atopic dermatitis in different age groups, as well as investigational indications of prurigo nodularis and chronic spontaneous urticaria will be presented at the congress.

'Prurigo nodularis is a relentless and often misunderstood itchy skin disease that leaves many patients with uncontrolled symptoms such as unbearable itch and painful skin lesions, along with a significantly impaired quality of life that should not be underestimated,' said Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., Professor of Dermatology at the Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami, Director of the Miami Itch Center and principal investigator of the trial. 'These positive results are the first time a Phase 3 trial has demonstrated that targeting key drivers of type 2 inflammation, IL-4 and IL-13, with dupilumab significantly improved itch and skin lesions in this highly burdensome disease.'

The randomized, placebo-controlled PRIME2 trial met its primary and all key secondary endpoints, with data presented at AAD 2022 showing:

  • 37% of Dupixent patients experienced a clinically meaningful reduction in itch from baseline compared to 22% of placebo patients (p=0.0216) at week 12, the primary endpoint.
  • Nearly three times as many Dupixent patients experienced a clinically meaningful reduction in itch from baseline at week 24: 58% of Dupixent patients compared to 20% of placebo patients (p<0.0001).
  • Nearly three times as many Dupixent patients achieved clear or almost clear skin at week 24: 45% of Dupixent patients compared to 16% of placebo patients (p<0.0001).

The safety results of the trial were generally consistent with the known safety profile of Dupixent in its approved dermatology indications. For the 24-week treatment period, overall rates of adverse events were generally similar between Dupixent and placebo groups (57% Dupixent, 51% placebo). Adverse events that were more commonly (≥5%) observed with Dupixent were herpes viral infections (7% Dupixent, 0% placebo). A lower rate of skin infections was observed with Dupixent (5% Dupixent, 9% placebo). Additionally, 3% of Dupixent patients and 30% of placebo patients discontinued prior to week 24.

Results from the confirmatory PRIME trial will be presented at an upcoming medical congress. Data from both trials will form the basis of regulatory submissions around the world for Dupixent in prurigo nodularis, which are planned to begin in the first half of 2022.

The potential use of Dupixent in prurigo nodularis is currently under clinical development, and the safety and efficacy have not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority.

About Prurigo Nodularis People with prurigo nodularis experience intense, persistent itch, with thick skin lesions (called nodules) that can cover most of the body. Prurigo nodularis is often described as painful with burning, stinging and tingling of the skin. The impact of uncontrolled prurigo nodularis on quality of life is one of the highest among inflammatory skin diseases due to the extreme itch and is comparable to other debilitating chronic diseases that 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. There are approximately 75,000 people in the U.S. who are unable to control their disease with systemic therapy and are most in need of a treatment option.

About the Trial PRIME2, part of the LIBERTY-PN PRIME clinical program, is a randomized, Phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of Dupixent in 160 adults with prurigo nodularis inadequately controlled with topical prescription therapies or with whom those therapies were not advisable. During the 24-week treatment period, patients received Dupixent or placebo every two weeks with or without topical treatments (low- or medium-dose topical corticosteroids or topical calcineurin inhibitors were continued if patients were using these treatments at randomization).

The primary endpoint evaluated the proportion of patients with clinically meaningful improvement in itch at week 12 (measured by a ≥4-point reduction in Worst-Itch Numeric Rating Scale [WI-NRS] of 0-10). Key secondary endpoints included the proportion of patients with clinically meaningful improvement in itch at week 24 and the proportion of patients with clear or almost clear skin at week 24 (measured by a score of 0 or 1 on the Investigator's Global Assessment PN-Stage [IGA PN-S] 0-4 scale).

About Dupixent Dupixent, which was invented using Regeneron's proprietary VelocImmune® technology, 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. IL-4 and IL-13 are key and central drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in atopic dermatitis, asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP).

Dupixent is currently approved in the U.S., Europe, Japan and other countries around the world for use in specific patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, as well as certain patients with asthma or CRSwNP in different age populations. Dupixent is also approved in one or more of these indications in more than 60 countries around the world and more than 400,000 patients have been treated globally.

About Regeneron's VelocImmune Technology Regeneron's VelocImmune technology utilizes a proprietary genetically engineered mouse platform endowed with a genetically humanized immune system to produce optimized fully human antibodies. When Regeneron's President and Chief Scientific Officer George D. Yancopoulos was a graduate student with his mentor Frederick W. Alt in 1985, they were the first to envision making such a genetically humanized mouse, and Regeneron has spent decades inventing and developing VelocImmune and related VelociSuite® technologies. Dr. Yancopoulos and his team have used VelocImmune technology to create approximately a quarter of all original, FDA-approved or authorized fully human monoclonal antibodies currently available. This includes Dupixent, REGEN-COV® (casirivimab and imdevimab), Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc), Praluent® (alirocumab), Kevzara® (sarilumab), Evkeeza® (evinacumab-dgnb) and Inmazeb™ (atoltivimab, maftivimab, and odesivimab-ebgn).

Dupilumab Development Program Dupilumab is being jointly developed by Regeneron and Sanofi 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, Regeneron and Sanofi are studying dupilumab in a broad range of diseases driven by type 2 inflammation or other allergic processes, including prurigo nodularis (Phase 3), pediatric atopic dermatitis (6 months to 5 years of age, Phase 3), hand and foot atopic dermatitis (Phase 3), eosinophilic esophagitis (Phase 3), chronic spontaneous urticaria (Phase 3), bullous pemphigoid (Phase 3), chronic inducible urticaria-cold (Phase 3), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with evidence of type 2 inflammation (Phase 3), chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis (Phase 3), allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (Phase 3), allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (Phase 3) and peanut allergy (Phase 2). 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.

U.S. Indications

DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used:

  • to treat adults and children 6 years of age and older with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (eczema) that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin (topical), or who cannot use topical therapies. DUPIXENT can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with atopic dermatitis under 6 years of age.
  • with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma in adults and children 6 years of age and older whose asthma is not controlled with their current asthma medicines. DUPIXENT helps prevent severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) and can improve your breathing. DUPIXENT may also help reduce the amount of oral corticosteroids you need while preventing severe asthma attacks and improving your breathing. DUPIXENT is not used to treat sudden breathing problems. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with asthma under 6 years of age.
  • with other medicines for the maintenance treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) in adults whose disease is not controlled. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis under 18 years of age.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR U.S. PATIENTS

Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT®.

Before using DUPIXENT, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you :

-- have eye problems-- have a parasitic (helminth) infection-- are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive a 'live vaccine' right before and during treatment with DUPIXENT.-- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby.

  • A pregnancy registry for women who take DUPIXENT during pregnancy collects information about the health of you and your baby. To enroll or get more information call 1-877-311-8972 or go to

-- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known whether DUPIXENT passes into your breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. 

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medicines; have asthma and use an asthma medicine; or have atopic dermatitis or CRSwNP, and also have asthma. Do not change or stop your corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine to come back.

DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including :

  • Allergic reactions. DUPIXENT can cause allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms: breathing problems or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, fast pulse, fever, hives, joint pain, general ill feeling, itching, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea or vomiting, or cramps in your stomach-area.
  • Eye problems . Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision, such as blurred vision. Your healthcare provider may send you to an ophthalmologist for an exam if needed.
  • Inflammation of your blood vessels . Rarely, this can happen in people with asthma who receive DUPIXENT. This may happen in people who also take a steroid medicine by mouth that is being stopped or the dose is being lowered. It is not known whether this is caused by DUPIXENT. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have: rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of your arms or legs, or persistent fever.
  • Joint aches and pain. Some people who use DUPIXENT have had trouble walking or moving due to their joint symptoms, and in some cases needed to be hospitalized. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or worsening joint symptoms. Your healthcare provider may stop DUPIXENT if you develop joint symptoms

The most common side effects include:

  • Atopic dermatitis: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, and cold sores in your mouth or on your lips.
  • Asthma: injection site reactions, pain in the throat (oropharyngeal pain), high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), and parasitic (helminth) infections.
  • Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), trouble sleeping (insomnia), toothache, gastritis, and joint pain (arthralgia).

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit , or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It's an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider. In children 12 years of age and older, it's recommended DUPIXENT be administered by or under supervision of an adult. In children under 12 years of age, DUPIXENT should be given by a caregiver.

Please see accompanying full P r e s cri b i n g Information i nc l ud i n g Patient Information.

About Regeneron Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN ) is a leading biotechnology company that invents 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 additional information about the company, please visit 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 andNASDAQ: SNY

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SOURCE Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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