CHMP Recommends Approval of Dupixent® (dupilumab) for Children Aged 6 to 11 Years with Severe Atopic Dermatitis
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi announced that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for Dupixent (dupilumab), extending its approval in the EU for children aged 6 to 11 years with severe atopic dermatitis suitable for systemic therapy. Dupixent, a biologic, is already approved for older patients in the EU and U.S. Efficacy data from Phase 3 trials showed significant improvement in disease measures when combined with topical corticosteroids. A final decision by the European Commission is forthcoming.
- Dupixent receives a positive opinion from the CHMP for children aged 6 to 11 with severe atopic dermatitis.
- Phase 3 trial results demonstrated significant improvement in disease severity, skin clearance, and quality of life.
- Dupixent is already widely approved, enhancing market credibility.
- Efficacy and safety for the age group 6 to 11 years are still under investigation and not yet fully evaluated in the EU.
- Common adverse events include conjunctivitis and injection site reactions.
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and PARIS, Oct. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Sanofi today announced that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for Dupixent® (dupilumab), recommending to extend the approval in the European Union (EU) to include children aged 6 to 11 years with severe atopic dermatitis who are candidates for systemic therapy.
Dupixent is the first and only biologic approved for the treatment of uncontrolled moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis for people 12 years of age and older in the EU and 6 years of age and older in the U.S. Dupixent is also approved in the EU for certain patients with severe asthma and severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), two other type 2 inflammatory diseases.
The European Commission is expected to announce a final decision on the Dupixent application in the coming months. The positive CHMP opinion is supported by data that include pivotal Phase 3 results on the efficacy and safety of Dupixent combined with topical corticosteroids (TCS) in children aged 6 to 11 years with severe atopic dermatitis that is uncontrolled on topical prescription therapies. In the trial, children treated with Dupixent and TCS experienced significantly improved measures of overall disease severity (Eczema Area and Severity Index), skin clearance, itch and health-related quality of life measures, compared to TCS alone. Adverse events more commonly observed with Dupixent included conjunctivitis, nasopharyngitis and injection site reactions. These data are consistent with the well-established efficacy and safety profile of Dupixent observed across adult and adolescent atopic dermatitis trials. The use of Dupixent in children aged 6 to 11 years is investigational and its efficacy and safety have not yet been fully evaluated in the EU.
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that can be debilitating. The current standard of care for children with severe atopic dermatitis in Europe is limited to TCS, leaving those with poorly controlled disease to cope with intense, unrelenting itch and skin lesions that cover much of the body resulting in skin cracking, redness or darkening, crusting and oozing. In addition, uncontrolled severe atopic dermatitis can have a significant emotional and psychosocial impact, causing sleep disturbance, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and feelings of isolation for children and their families.
Dupixent is a fully-human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) proteins, and is not an immunosuppressant. Data from Dupixent clinical trials have shown that IL-4 and IL-13 are key drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in atopic dermatitis, asthma and CRSwNP. Dupixent is currently approved in more than 60 countries, and more than 170,000 patients have been treated globally.
About Dupixent
Dupixent is currently approved in the EU for use in adults and adolescents 12 years and older with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis who are candidates for systemic therapy. It is also approved in the EU for adults and adolescents 12 years and older as an add-on maintenance treatment for severe asthma with type 2 inflammation characterized by raised blood eosinophils and/or raised fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), who are inadequately controlled with high dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) plus another medicinal product for maintenance treatment. Dupixent is also approved in the EU for adults with severe CRSwNP for whom therapy with systemic corticosteroids and/or surgery do not provide adequate disease control.
Outside of the EU, Dupixent is approved for use in specific patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and certain patients with asthma in a number of other countries around the world, including the U.S. and Japan. Dupixent is also approved in the U.S. and Japan to treat certain adults with severe CRSwNP.
Dupilumab Development Program
To date, dupilumab has been studied in more than 10,000 patients aged 6 and up across 50 clinical trials in various chronic diseases driven by type 2 inflammation.
In addition to the currently approved indications, Regeneron and Sanofi are also studying dupilumab in a broad range of diseases driven by type 2 inflammation or other allergic processes, including pediatric asthma (6 to 11 years of age, Phase 3), pediatric atopic dermatitis (6 months to 5 years of age, Phase 2/3), eosinophilic esophagitis (Phase 3), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Phase 3), bullous pemphigoid (Phase 3), prurigo nodularis (Phase 3), chronic spontaneous urticaria (Phase 3), and food and environmental allergies (Phase 2). These potential uses are investigational, and the safety and efficacy of dupilumab in these conditions have not been evaluated by any regulatory authority. Dupilumab is being jointly developed by Regeneron and Sanofi under a global collaboration agreement.
Dupilumab was invented using Regeneron's VelocImmune® technology that utilizes a proprietary genetically-engineered mouse platform endowed with a genetically-humanized immune system to produce optimized fully-human antibodies. VelocImmune technology has been used to create multiple antibodies including Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc), Praluent® (alirocumab) and Kevzara® (sarilumab), which are approved in multiple countries around the world. Regeneron previously used these technologies to rapidly develop a treatment for Zaire ebolavirus infection, which is approved by the FDA, and to create REGN-COV2, a potentially preventative and therapeutic investigational medicine for COVID-19 that was recently submitted to the FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
U.S. Indications
DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used:
- to treat people aged 6 years 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 people aged 12 years 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 12 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" if you are treated with DUPIXENT.
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby.
- There is a pregnancy exposure registry for women who take DUPIXENT during pregnancy to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Your healthcare provider can enroll you or you may enroll yourself. To get more information about the registry call 1–877-311-8972 or go to https://mothertobaby.org/ongoing-study/dupixent/.
- 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 (hypersensitivity), including a severe reaction known as anaphylaxis. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following symptoms: breathing problems, fever, general ill feeling, swollen lymph nodes, swelling of the face, mouth and tongue, hives, itching, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded (low blood pressure), joint pain, or skin rash.
- Eye problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision.
- 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, shortness of breath, persistent fever, chest pain, or a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of your arms or legs.
The most common side effects by indications are as follows:
- Atopic dermatitis: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, and cold sores in your mouth or on your lips.
- Asthma: injection site reactions, pain in the throat (oropharyngeal pain), and high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia).
- Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, 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 www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed. Your healthcare provider will tell you how much DUPIXENT to inject and how often to inject it. DUPIXENT is an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). If your healthcare provider decides that you or a caregiver can give DUPIXENT injections, you or your caregiver should receive training on the right way to prepare and inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to inject DUPIXENT until you have been shown the right way by your healthcare provider. In children 12 years of age and older, it is recommended that DUPIXENT be administered by or under supervision of an adult. In children younger than 12 years of age, DUPIXENT should be given by a caregiver.
Please see full Prescribing Information including 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 over 30 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to eight FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in development, 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, 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 www.regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.
About Sanofi
Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.
With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.
Sanofi, Empowering Life
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