Dupilumab sustains efficacy in patients with moderate-to-severe type 2 asthma regardless of ICS dose

Background: Dupilumab, a human monoclonal antibody, blocks the shared receptor component for interleukins-4/13, key and central drivers of type 2 inflammation. The TRAVERSE (NCT02134028) open-label extension study demonstrated the long-term safety and efficacy of dupilumab in patients >= 12 years who completed a previous dupilumab asthma study. The safety profile was consistent with that observed in the parent studies. Here, we assess whether dupilumab sustains long-term efficacy in patients regardless of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose at parent study baseline (PSBL). Methods: Patients from phase 2b (NCT01854047) or phase 3 (QUEST; NCT02414854) studies receiving high- or medium-dose ICS at PSBL and enrolled in TRAVERSE were included. We analyzed unadjusted annualized severe exacerbation rates, change from PSBL in pre-bronchodilator (BD) forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), 5-item asthma control questionnaire, and type 2 biomarkers in patients with type 2 asthma at baseline (blood eosinophils >= 150 cells/mu L or fractional exhaled nitric oxide [FeNO] >= 25 ppb), and subgroups defined by baseline blood eosinophils or FeNO. Results: Of patients with type 2 asthma (n = 1666), 891 (53.5%) were receiving high-dose ICS at PSBL. In this subgroup, unadjusted exacerbation rates for dupilumab versus placebo were 0.517 versus 1.883 (phase 2b) and 0.571 versus 1.300 (QUEST) over the parent study (52 weeks) and remained low throughout TRAVERSE (0.313-0.494). Improvements in pre-BD FEV1 were sustained throughout TRAVERSE. Similar clinical efficacy was observed among patients receiving medium-dose ICS at PSBL and biomarker subgroups. Conclusions: Dupilumab showed sustained efficacy for up to 3 years in patients with uncontrolled, moderate-to-severe type 2 asthma on high-or medium-dose ICS.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of dupilumab in patients on high- or medium-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) at baseline. The study found that in patients on high-dose ICS, dupilumab showed sustained efficacy compared to placebo in terms of exacerbation rates, pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and asthma control questionnaire scores. Similar results were observed in patients on medium-dose ICS and in biomarker subgroups.