Nearly three times as many Dupixent patients experienced clinically meaningful reductions in itch and skin lesions at 24 weeks compared to placebo

There are currently no approved medicines specifically indicated to treat prurigo nodularis; regulatory submissions for Dupixent are under Priority Review in the U.S. and under review in the European Union

22 Dupixent abstracts are being presented at the EADV 2022 Congress across four dermatological diseases with underlying type 2 inflammation

TARRYTOWN, NY, USA and PARIS, France I September 8, 2022 I Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Sanofi today presented detailed positive results from the second of two Phase 3 trials (PRIME) evaluating Dupixent® (dupilumab) in adults with uncontrolled prurigo nodularis in a late-breaking session at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) 2022 Congress. These data, which were consistent with the detailed data from the first Phase 3 trial (PRIME2) in prurigo nodularis, show Dupixent significantly reduced itch and skin lesions at 24 weeks.

In total, 22 scientific abstracts are being presented at the EADV 2022 Congress discussing Dupixent in atopic dermatitis in patients as young as six months, and its investigational use in chronic spontaneous urticaria and bullous pemphigoid, in addition to prurigo nodularis.

“These positive results from the second of two dupilumab Phase 3 trials in prurigo nodularis confirm inhibiting IL-4 and IL-13 can significantly reduce the unrelenting itch and extensive severe skin lesions that often impair patient quality of life,” said Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., Professor of Dermatology at the Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami, Director of the Miami Itch Center and principal investigator of the trial. “In my practice, relieving itch and clearing skin are often the top priorities for my patients across a range of chronic skin diseases. These data demonstrate dupilumab has the potential to address and manage these debilitating symptoms in another chronic skin disease with underlying type 2 inflammation.”

The late-breaking data presented at the EADV 2022 Congress are from the randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 PRIME trial, which met its primary and key secondary endpoints. At 24 weeks, among patients treated with Dupixent in the trial:

  • More than three times as many (60%) experienced a clinically meaningful reduction in itch from baseline, the primary endpoint, compared to placebo patients (18%; p<0.0001).
  • Nearly three times as many (48%) achieved clear or almost clear skin, a key secondary endpoint, compared to placebo patients (18%; p=0.0004).

The safety results of the trial were generally consistent with the known safety profile of Dupixent in its approved dermatological indication. For the 24-week treatment period, overall rates of adverse events (AEs) were 71% for Dupixent and 63% for placebo. AEs most commonly observed with Dupixent (≥5%) included nasopharyngitis (5% Dupixent, 4% placebo) and headache (5% Dupixent, 5% placebo). The rate of treatment discontinuation due to AEs prior to week 24 was 0% for Dupixent compared to 4% for placebo. A numerically lower rate of skin infections was observed with Dupixent (4% Dupixent, 9% placebo).

Results from this and an earlier Phase 3 trial, PRIME2, will form the basis of regulatory submissions around the world for Dupixent in prurigo nodularis this year. Regulatory submissions are already under review by the European Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the FDA granting Priority Review in May 2022 and a target action date of September 30, 2022.

The potential uses of Dupixent in prurigo nodularis, chronic spontaneous urticaria and bullous pemphigoid are currently under clinical development, and the safety and efficacy have not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority.

About Prurigo Nodularis
People with prurigo nodularis experience intense, persistent itch, with thick skin lesions (called nodules) that can cover most of the body. Prurigo nodularis is often described as painful with burning, stinging and tingling of the skin. The impact of uncontrolled prurigo nodularis on quality of life is one of the highest among inflammatory skin diseases due to the extreme itch and comparable to other debilitating chronic diseases that can negatively affect mental health, activities of daily living and social interactions. High-potency topical steroids are commonly prescribed but are associated with safety risks if used long-term.

About the Trial
PRIME, part of the LIBERTY-PN PRIME clinical program, was a randomized, Phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of Dupixent in 151 adults with uncontrolled prurigo nodularis. These included patients who were inadequately controlled with topical prescription therapies or for whom those therapies were not advisable. During the 24-week treatment period, patients received Dupixent or placebo every two weeks with or without topical treatments (low- or medium-dose topical corticosteroids or topical calcineurin inhibitors were continued if patients were using these treatments at randomization).

The primary endpoint evaluated the proportion of patients with clinically meaningful improvement in itch at 24 weeks (measured by a ≥4-point reduction in Worst-Itch Numeric Rating Scale [WI-NRS] of 0-10). A key secondary endpoint was the proportion of patients with clear or almost clear skin at 24 weeks (measured by a score of 0 or 1 on the Investigator’s Global Assessment PN-Stage [IGA PN-S] 0-4 scale).

About Dupixent
Dupixent, which was invented using Regeneron’s proprietary VelocImmune® technology, is a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) pathways and is not an immunosuppressant. The Dupixent development program has shown significant clinical benefit and a decrease in type 2 inflammation in Phase 3 trials, establishing that IL-4 and IL-13 are key and central drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in multiple related and often co-morbid diseases. These diseases include approved indications for Dupixent such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), as well as investigational diseases such as prurigo nodularis.

Dupixent has received regulatory approvals around the world for use in certain patients with atopic dermatitis, asthma, CRSwNP or EoE in different age populations. Dupixent is currently approved across these indications in the U.S. and for one or more of these indications in more than 60 countries, including in the European Union and Japan. More than 500,000 patients have been treated with Dupixent globally.

About Regeneron’s VelocImmune Technology
Regeneron’s VelocImmune technology utilizes a proprietary genetically engineered mouse platform endowed with a genetically humanized immune system to produce optimized fully human antibodies. When Regeneron’s co-Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer George D. Yancopoulos was a graduate student with his mentor Frederick W. Alt in 1985, they were the first to envision making such a genetically humanized mouse, and Regeneron has spent decades inventing and developing VelocImmune and related VelociSuite® technologies. Dr. Yancopoulos and his team have used VelocImmune technology to create approximately one in five of all original, FDA-approved or authorized fully human monoclonal antibodies. This includes REGEN-COV® (casirivimab and imdevimab), Dupixent, Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc), Praluent® (alirocumab), Kevzara® (sarilumab), Evkeeza® (evinacumab-dgnb) and Inmazeb™ (atoltivimab, maftivimab and odesivimab-ebgn).

Dupilumab Development Program
Dupilumab is being jointly developed by Regeneron and Sanofi under a global collaboration agreement. To date, dupilumab has been studied across more than 60 clinical trials involving more than 10,000 patients with various chronic diseases driven in part by type 2 inflammation.

In addition to the currently approved indications, Regeneron and Sanofi are studying dupilumab in a broad range of diseases driven by type 2 inflammation or other allergic processes in Phase 3 trials, including prurigo nodularis, pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis, hand and foot atopic dermatitis, chronic inducible urticaria-cold, chronic spontaneous urticaria, chronic pruritis of unknown origin, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with evidence of type 2 inflammation, chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis, allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and bullous pemphigoid. These potential uses of dupilumab are currently under clinical investigation, and the safety and efficacy in these conditions have not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority.

U.S. Indications

DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used:

  • to treat adults and children 6 months of age 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 months of age.
  • with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma in adults and children 6 years of age 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 6 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.
  • to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older, who weigh at least 88 pounds (40 kg), with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with eosinophilic esophagitis under 12 years of age and who weigh at least 88 pounds (40 kg).

Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information.

About Regeneron  
Regeneron is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for nearly 35 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to numerous FDA-approved treatments and product candidates in development, almost 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, hematologic conditions, 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 more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.

About Sanofi
We are an innovative global healthcare company, driven by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. Our team, across some 100 countries, is dedicated to transforming the practice of medicine by working to turn the impossible into the possible. We provide potentially life-changing treatment options and life-saving vaccine protection to millions of people globally, while putting sustainability and social responsibility at the center of our ambitions.

SOURCE: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals