Dupilumab is even more effective at treating both adults and children with atopic dermatitis (AD) in the real world than clinical research data suggest, according to a single center chart review. Of adult patients, 93% reported at least partial remission (92% for pediatric patients. These data are being presented at the 2022 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting).

“In clinical trials, between 50% and 60% of patients with atopic dermatitis treated with dupilumab for one year achieved success defined by an Investigator’s Global Assessment score of 0 or 1 or improvement in the Eczema Area and Severity Index of at least 75%... In treating [AD], clinical efficacy- determined by the stringent definitions of ‘success’ used in clinical trials- may not accurately reflect real world clinical success rates,” wrote lead author Veronica Emmerich, BA, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and co-authors.

Researchers analyzed data from the charts of 98 adult patients (ages 18-85) and 24 pediatric patients (ages 9-17) seen at Wake Forest Baptist Health between 2017 and 2020. Of adults, 40% experienced complete remission.

Among adult patients, 22 experienced side effects, conjunctivitis (n=12) being the most common. Among pediatric patients, 6 experienced side effects such as conjunctivitis (n=3) and facial redness (n=1).

Issues with insurance or cost led 3 pediatric patients to discontinue treatment, while 5 adult patients discontinued for that reason. A total of 23 adult patients discontinued treatment; other reasons included side effects (n=8), no improvement (n=4), complete disease remission (n=2), and other reasons (n=4).

Reference
Emmerich V, Williams J, Hrin M, et al. Real-world effectiveness of dupilumab for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in adult and pediatric patients. Poster presented at: AAD Annual Meeting; March 25-29, 2022. Boston, MA.