Following Priority Review, Dupixent is now available to patients as young as 12 years with inadequately controlled CRSwNP
Current treatment options leave many patients with uncontrolled disease and often result in the recurrence of nasal polyps
Dupixent is the leading biologic medicine for all five FDA-approved indications in new-to-brand prescriptions
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and PARIS, Sept. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Sanofi today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Dupixent® (dupilumab) as an add-on maintenance treatment for adolescent patients aged 12 to 17 years with inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). This approval expands the initial June 2019 FDA approval in CRSwNP for patients aged 18 years and older. The FDA evaluated Dupixent for this expanded indication under Priority Review, which is reserved for medicines that represent potentially significant improvements in efficacy or safety in treating serious conditions.
CRSwNP is a chronic disease of the upper airway, driven in part by type 2 inflammation, that obstructs the sinuses and nasal passages. It can lead to breathing difficulties, nasal congestion and discharge, reduced or loss of sense of smell and taste, facial pressure, sleep disturbance, and overall reduction in quality of life. Though systemic steroids and surgery are the standard treatment for CRSwNP in this age group and can provide relief, many patients may still experience uncontrolled symptoms and the recurrence of nasal polyps. In the U.S., approximately 9,000 adolescents live with inadequately controlled CRSwNP.
“We are pleased to bring the well-established efficacy and safety of Dupixent to the many children suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, which can make their breathing more laborious and difficult, and also deprive them of their sense of smell,” said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Board co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer at Regeneron, and a principal inventor of Dupixent. “More than one million patients around the world are now being treated with Dupixent, from infants to adults, and across multiple diseases exacerbated by type 2 inflammation, from asthma to atopic dermatitis. Today’s approval reinforces our continuing commitment to transforming the treatment paradigms for these types of related diseases.”
“This latest approval for Dupixent marks the first time a biologic is specifically indicated for adolescents with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, offering them an option beyond current standard of care,” said Brian Foard, Executive Vice President, Head, Specialty Care at Sanofi. “Dupixent is a cornerstone of our leadership in immunology, and this latest approval supports our continued commitment to chasing the miracles of science for patients with unmet medical needs.”
The approval is supported by evidence from two positive pivotal trials in adults with inadequately controlled CRSwNP. In the SINUS-24 and SINUS-52 trials, Dupixent significantly improved nasal congestion/obstruction severity, nasal polyp size and sense of smell, while also reducing the need for systemic corticosteroids or surgery at 24 weeks compared to placebo. The approval is also supported by pharmacokinetic data from adult and adolescent patients aged 12 years and older with moderate-to-severe asthma and adult patients with inadequately controlled CRSwNP, along with the safety data of Dupixent in adolescents aged 12 years and older with moderate-to-severe asthma.
In the SINUS-24 and SINUS-52 trials, the safety of Dupixent in adults was generally consistent with the known safety profile of Dupixent in its approved indications. Adverse events more commonly observed with Dupixent (≥1%) compared to placebo in SINUS-24 and SINUS-52 (24-week safety pool) were injection site reactions, eosinophilia, insomnia, toothache, gastritis, arthralgia and conjunctivitis.
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 two of the key and central drivers of type 2 inflammation that play a major role in multiple related and often co-morbid diseases.
Regeneron and Sanofi are committed to helping patients in the U.S. who are prescribed Dupixent gain access to the medicine and receive the support they may need with the DUPIXENT MyWay® program. For more information, please call 1-844-DUPIXENT (1-844-387-4936) or visit www.DUPIXENT.com.
Dupixent has received regulatory approvals in more than 60 countries in one or more indications including certain patients with atopic dermatitis, asthma, CRSwNP, eosinophilic esophagitis, prurigo nodularis, chronic spontaneous urticaria, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in different age populations. More than 1,000,000 patients are being 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 a substantial portion 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), Inmazeb® (atoltivimab, maftivimab and odesivimab-ebgn) and Veopoz™ (pozelimab-bbfg).
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 in part by type 2 inflammation or other allergic processes in Phase 3 trials, including chronic spontaneous urticaria, chronic pruritus of unknown origin, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with evidence of type 2 inflammation 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.
About Regeneron
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to numerous approved treatments and product candidates in development, most 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, neurological diseases, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases, and rare diseases.
Regeneron pushes the boundaries of scientific discovery and accelerates drug development using our proprietary technologies, such as VelociSuite®, which produces optimized fully human antibodies and new classes of bispecific antibodies. We are shaping the next frontier of medicine with data-powered insights from the Regeneron Genetics Center® and pioneering genetic medicine platforms, enabling us to identify innovative targets and complementary approaches to potentially treat or cure diseases.
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 the world, 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.