Dupilumab shows long-term safety and efficacy in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis enrolled in a phase 3 open-label extension study

BACKGROUND: Significant unmet need exists for long-term treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVE: To assess the long-term safety and efficacy of dupilumab in patients with AD. METHODS: This ongoing, multicenter, open-label extension study (NCT01949311) evaluated long-term dupilumab treatment in adults who had previously participated in phase 1 through 3 clinical trials of dupilumab for AD. This analysis examined patients given 300 mg dupilumab weekly for up to 76 weeks at data cutoff (April 2016). Safety was the primary outcome; efficacy was also evaluated. RESULTS: Of 1491 enrolled patients (1042.9 patient-years), 92.9% were receiving treatment at cutoff. The safety profile was consistent with previously reported trials (420.4 adverse events/100 patient-years and 8.5 serious adverse events/100 patient-years), with no new safety signals; common adverse events included nasopharyngitis, conjunctivitis, and injection-site reactions. Sustained improvement was seen up to 76 weeks in all efficacy outcomes, including measures of skin inflammation, pruritus, and quality of life. LIMITATIONS: Lack of control arm, limited number of patients with 76 weeks or longer of treatment (median follow-up, 24 weeks), and patients not receiving the approved dose regimen of 300 mg every 2 weeks. CONCLUSION: The safety and efficacy profile from this study supports the role of dupilumab as continuous long-term treatment for patients with moderate to severe AD

Efficacy and safety of multiple dupilumab dose regimens after initial successful treatment in patients with atopic dermatitis:A randomized clinical trial

The dupilumab regimen of 300 mg every 2 weeks is approved for uncontrolled, moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD). To assess the efficacy and safety of different dupilumab regimens in maintaining response after 16 weeks of initial treatment. The Study to Confirm the Efficacy and Safety of Different Dupilumab Dose Regimens in Adults With Atopic Dermatitis (LIBERTY AD SOLO-CONTINUE) was a randomized, double-blind, phase 3 clinical trial conducted from March 25, 2015, to October 18, 2016, at 185 sites in North America, Europe, Asia, and Japan. Patients with moderate to severe AD who received dupilumab treatment and achieved an Investigator's Global Assessment score of 0 or 1 or 75% improvement in Eczema Area and Severity Index scores (EASI-75) at week 16 in 2 previous dupilumab monotherapy trials (LIBERTY AD SOLO 1 and 2) were rerandomized in SOLO-CONTINUE. After completing SOLO-CONTINUE, patients were followed up for up to 12 weeks or enrolled in an open-label extension. Data were analyzed from December 5 to 12, 2016. High-responding patients treated with dupilumab in SOLO were rerandomized 2:1:1:1 to continue their original regimen of dupilumab, 300 mg, weekly or every 2 weeks or to receive dupilumab, 300 mg, every 4 or 8 weeks or placebo for 36 weeks. Percentage change in EASI score from baseline during the SOLO-CONTINUE trial, percentage of patients with EASI-75 at week 36, and safety. Among the 422 patients (mean [SD] age, 38.2 [14.5] years; 227 [53.8%] male), continuing dupilumab treatment once weekly or every 2 weeks maintained optimal efficacy, with negligible change in percent EASI improvement from SOLO 1 and 2 baseline during the SOLO-CONTINUE trial (−0.06%; P < .001 vs placebo); percent change with the other regimens dose-dependently worsened (dupilumab every 4 weeks, −3.84%; dupilumab every 8 weeks, −6.84%; placebo, −21.67%). More patients taking dupilumab weekly or every 2 weeks (116 of 162 [71.6%]; P < .001 vs placebo) maintained EASI-75 response than those taking dupilumab every 4 weeks (49 of 84 [58.3%]) or every 8 weeks (45 of 82 [54.9%]) or those taking placebo (24 of 79 [30.4%]). Overall adverse event incidences were 70.7% in the weekly or every 2 weeks group, 73.6% in the every 4 weeks group, 75.0% in the every 8 weeks group, and 81.7% in the placebo group. Treatment groups had similar conjunctivitis rates. Treatment-emergent antidrug antibody incidence was lower with more frequent dupilumab dose regimens (11.3% in the placebo group and 11.7%, 6.0%, 4.3%, and 1.2% in the dupilumab every 8 weeks, every 4 weeks, every 2 weeks, and weekly groups, respectively). In this trial, continued response over time was most consistently maintained with dupilumab administered weekly or every 2 weeks. Longer dosage intervals and placebo resulted in a diminution of response for both continuous and categorical end points. No new safety signals were observed. The approved regimen of 300 mg of dupilumab every 2 weeks is recommended for long-term treatment