FDA Accepts Dupixent for Review in Children with Moderate-to-severe Asthma

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Dupixent® (dupilumab) as an add-on treatment for children aged 6 to 11 years with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma. Dupixent is currently approved as an add-on treatment for patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma aged 12 and older with elevated eosinophils or oral corticosteroid dependent asthma. The target action date for the FDA decision is October 21, 2021 and the European Union (EU) regulatory submission for children aged 6 to 11 years with asthma is planned for Q1 2021.

In the U.S., there are approximately 75,000 children aged 6 to 11 years with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma, which can carry a significant burden for children and their families. Despite treatment with current standard-of-care inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators, these children can still experience coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. They are also at risk for life-threatening severe asthma attacks that can lead to hospitalization and emergency room visits, and may require the use of systemic corticosteroids which carry significant risks when used long term. Uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma can impair lung function, and can interfere with day-to-day activities, like sleeping, attending school and playing sports.

The sBLA is supported by data that include pivotal Phase 3 results evaluating the efficacy and safety of Dupixent in addition to standard-of-care maintenance therapy in children with moderate-to-severe asthma with type 2 inflammation, characterized by raised blood eosinophil levels and/or raised fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels. In the trial, Dupixent significantly reduced severe asthma attacks and rapidly improved lung function within two weeks in children aged 6 to 11 years. Safety results were generally consistent with the well-established safety profile of Dupixent in the approved indication for patients aged 12 and older with moderate-to-severe asthma. Adverse events in the Phase 3 trial that were more commonly observed with Dupixent included injection site reactions, viral upper respiratory tract infections and eosinophilia. Detailed results from this Phase 3 trial will be published later this year.

Dupixent 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. It was invented using Regeneron's proprietary VelocImmune® technology. IL-4 and IL-13 are key and central drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), atopic dermatitis and eosinophilic esophagitis.

Dupixent is approved in the U.S. to treat patients aged 6 years and older with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin (topical), or who cannot use topical therapies; for use with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma in patients aged 12 years and older whose asthma is not controlled with their current asthma medicines; and for use with other medicines for the maintenance treatment of CRSwNP in adults whose disease is not controlled.

Outside of the U.S., Dupixent is approved for specific patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and certain patients with asthma in a number of other countries around the world, including those in the EU and Japan. Dupixent is also approved in the EU and Japan to treat certain adults with severe CRSwNP. Across all approved indications globally, more than 200,000 patients have been treated with Dupixent.

Dupixent is intended for use under the guidance of a healthcare professional and can be given in a clinic or at home by self-administration after training by a healthcare professional. In children younger than 12 years of age, Dupixent should be administered by a caregiver.