Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi announced that the European Medicines Agency’sCommittee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for Dupixent® (dupilumab) in a third indication. The CHMP recommended Dupixent be approved as an add-on therapy with intranasal corticosteroids for the treatment of adults with severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) for whom therapy with systemic corticosteroids and/or surgery do not provide adequate disease control. If approved, Dupixent would be the first biologic medicine available in the European Union (EU) to treat these patients.
The positive CHMP opinion is based on two pivotal Phase 3 trials (the 24-week SINUS-24 and 52-week SINUS-52) that evaluated Dupixent 300 mg every two weeks plus standard-of-care intranasal corticosteroids compared to placebo plus intranasal corticosteroids. A final decision on the Dupixent application by the European Commission (EC) is expected in the coming months.
Dupixent is a fully-human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) proteins. Data from Dupixent clinical trials have shown that IL-4 and IL-13 are key drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in CRSwNP, asthma and atopic dermatitis.
CRSwNP is a chronic disease of the upper airway that obstructs the sinuses and nasal passages. It can lead to persistent breathing difficulties, nasal congestion and discharge, reduced or loss of sense of smell and taste, and facial pressure or pain. For patients with severe CRSwNP, the current standard-of-care includes intermittent courses of systemic corticosteroids or sinonasal surgery, both of which are associated with disease recurrence. Many patients with CRSwNP have other type 2 inflammatory diseases like asthma, and these patients often have more severe asthma and are often more difficult to treat. Patients with CRSwNP and co-morbid asthma may have an increased risk of asthma attacks, high symptom burden and a substantial adverse impact on health-related quality of life. In the Dupixent CRSwNP trials, 59% of patients also had asthma.
About Dupixent
Dupixent is currently approved in the EU for patients 12 years and older as an add-on maintenance treatment for severe asthma with type 2 inflammation characterized by raised blood eosinophils and/or raised fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), who are inadequately controlled with high dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) plus another medicinal product for maintenance treatment. It is also approved in the EU for use in patients 12 years and older with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis who are candidates for systemic therapy.
Outside of the EU, Dupixent is approved for use in specific patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and certain patients with asthma in a number of other countries around the world, including the U.S. and Japan. Dupixent is also approved in the U.S. for use with other medicines to treat CRSwNP in adults whose disease is not controlled.
About Regeneron
Regeneron is a leading biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for 30 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to seven FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in development, 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, infectious diseases, pain and rare diseases.
Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through our proprietary VelociSuite®technologies, such as VelocImmune®which produces optimized fully-human antibodies, and ambitious research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center, which is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.
About Sanofi
Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions. With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.
