Dupilumab Shows Promise in Reducing COPD Exacerbations and Improving Lung Function
A pooled analysis of 2 phase 3 trials, BOREAS and NOTUS, highlights dupilumab’s efficacy in reducing exacerbations and improving lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and type 2 inflammation. The trials, which included 1,874 patients with moderate-to-severe airflow limitation and elevated blood eosinophils (≥300 cells/μL), evaluated dupilumab as an add-on to standard triple therapy consisting of an inhaled corticosteroid, long-acting β2-agonist, and long-acting muscarinic antagonist.
Patients receiving dupilumab experienced a 31% reduction in the annualized rate of moderate or severe exacerbations compared to those on placebo (p<0.0001). Improvements in lung function were observed as early as Week 12, with a greater increase in prebronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) in the dupilumab group (83 mL improvement over placebo, p<0.0001), which was sustained through Week 52 (73 mL improvement, p<0.0001). Additionally, dupilumab reduced the need for systemic corticosteroid courses due to exacerbations (0.639 vs. 0.966 annualized courses for dupilumab vs. placebo).
“In 2 pooled phase 3 trials, dupilumab reduced moderate or severe exacerbations, improved lung function, reduced total SCS courses due to exacerbations, and had safety consistent with the known safety profile,” concluded study authors.
Reference
Robinson L, Bhatt S, Rabe K, Hanania N, et al. Efficacy and safety of dupilumab in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and type 2 inflammation: pooled analysis of BOREAS and NOTUS trials. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Volume 155, Issue 2, AB307. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.12.944
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