Sanofi-Regeneron Dupixent approved in EU for chronic spontaneous urticaria

“The unpredictable nature of chronic spontaneous urticaria leaves patients guessing when they’ll have their next outbreak of disruptive, debilitating hives and itch, which can make life challenging,” said Tonya Winders, President & CEO, Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform. “Dupixent is proven to reduce these intense symptoms and has the potential to make a positive impact on people struggling to control this disease.”

“Standard-of-care, first-line treatment options like antihistamines offer limited relief for many people living with uncontrolled chronic spontaneous urticaria, leaving them to face unrelenting cycles of itch and hives,” said Alyssa Johnsen, MD, PhD, Global Therapeutic Area Head, Immunology Development at Sanofi. “Dupixent significantly reduced these symptoms of CSU and led to more patients experiencing well-controlled disease or a complete response compared to placebo in two phase 3 studies. Now, eligible patients with CSU in the EU have a new option that is proven to reduce itch and hives.”

The approval is based on data from two phase 3 clinical studies in the LIBERTY-CUPID program (NCT04180488). Study A and Study C included 284 patients aged 12 years and older who were symptomatic despite the use of antihistamines and who were naïve to anti-IgE therapy. Both studies assessed Dupixent as an add-on therapy to standard-of-care antihistamines compared to antihistamines alone and demonstrated Dupixent significantly reduced urticaria activity (a composite of itch and hives), and individual measures of itch and hive severity compared to placebo at 24 weeks. Dupixent also increased the percentage of patients with well-controlled disease and complete response at 24 weeks compared to placebo. Study B (n=108) provided additional safety data and evaluated Dupixent in patients aged 12 years and older who were inadequate responders or intolerant to anti-IgE therapy and symptomatic despite antihistamine use.

Safety results from Study A, Study B and Study C were generally consistent with the known safety profile of Dupixent in its approved indications.

“The approval of Dupixent for certain adults and adolescents with chronic spontaneous urticaria in the European Union represents the first innovation for patients with this disease in over a decade,” said George D. Yancopoulos, MD, PhD, Board co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer at Regeneron. “Physicians now have a new approach for CSU with Dupixent, as the only treatment that inhibits IL4 and IL13, two key drivers of type 2 inflammation, and can offer patients significant improvement in debilitating itch and hives. This approval further demonstrates the ability of Dupixent to advance the treatment landscape for yet another chronic type 2 inflammatory disease, with a well-established safety profile across its indications.”

Beyond the EU, Dupixent is also approved for CSU in certain adults and adolescents in several countries including the US and Japan.