DUPILUMAB IMPROVES ASTHMA CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH UNCONTROLLED, MODERATE-TO-SEVERE ASTHMA, REGARDLESS OF EXACERBATION HISTORY

Introduction Dupilumab, a fully human anti-interleukin (IL)-4 receptor α monoclonal antibody, inhibiting IL-4/IL-13 signaling pathways, key drivers of Type 2 inflammation, is approved for treatment of adults with inadequately controlled moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. In the phase 3 LIBERTY ASTHMA QUEST study (NCT02414854), dupilumab 200mg and 300mg every 2 weeks compared to matched placebo reduced annualized severe exacerbation rates and improved pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second, patient-reported outcomes including asthma symptoms and health-related quality-of-life measures, and was generally well tolerated, in patients with uncontrolled, moderate-to-severe asthma. This post hoc analysis evaluated the effect of dupilumab on asthma control, using the 5-item Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ-5), by exacerbation history. Methods Changes from baseline in ACQ-5 at Weeks 24 and 52 were analyzed in patients with ≥1, ≥2, or ≥3 severe exacerbations in the previous year. Results Lower mean ACQ-5 scores, indicating better asthma control, were observed for both dupilumab doses vs placebo at Weeks 24 and 52 ( P Table ). The most frequent adverse event in the dupilumab-treated groups vs placebo was injection-site reactions (15%/18% vs 5%/10%, respectively). Conclusions Dupilumab significantly improved asthma control, as measured by the ACQ-5, regardless of prior severe exacerbation history and was generally well tolerated.