Dupilumab in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Asthma: An Evidence-Based Review

Abstract

Background: Asthma affects millions of patients across the globe and also accounts for numerous mortalities every year. The current pharmacologic approach to the treatment of asthma includes the use of glucocorticoids and beta-agonists mainly. However, these conventional therapies have poor controllability of moderate-to-severe asthma and also produce several side effects on their long-term use. These limitations had led to the development of biologics targeting the mediators involved in T helper 2-inflammation associated with the pathogenesis of asthma such as interleukin (IL) 4, IL-5, and IL-13. dupilumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody, an IL-4 receptor alpha-antagonist targeting IL-13 and IL-4 has a potential role in treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on October 19, 2018. The dual-antagonistic action of dupilumab on IL-4 and IL-13 receptors renders it more efficient in asthma treatment.

Objectives: To review the efficacy and safety profile of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma.

Methods: Systematic search was performed via PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov using the key words dupilumab, moderate-to-severe asthma, interleukin, IL-13, IL-4, and monoclonal antibody. Randomized controlled trials that compared between placebo and dupilumab in patients with uncontrolled asthma were included and observational studies were excluded in this review.

Results: The review of selected literature reveals that addition of dupilumab to conventional therapy improves forced expiratory volume in 1 second and reduces the risk of severe asthma exacerbations in patients. No significant differences in incidence of adverse drug reactions/adverse drug events were observed between dupilumab and placebo groups except higher rates of injection site reactions in the dupilumab group.

Conclusions: Concomitant use of dupilumab with long-acting beta agonists used in combination with inhaled corticosteroids, improves clinical outcomes and quality of life in patients with moderate to severe asthma. Although dupilumab has a promising role in treatment of patients with asthma, it is still in the emerging stage for its acceptance globally. Ongoing studies will help to determine dupilumab's long-term efficacy and safety for its future extensive use.

Keywords: asthma; dupilumab; interleukins; monoclonal antibodies; systematic review.