Sanofi and Regeneron receives Japanese marketing approval for Dupixent to treat bronchial asthma in children aged 6 to 11 years

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan has granted marketing and manufacturing authorization for Dupixent (dupilumab) for the treatment of bronchial asthma in children aged 6 to 11 years with severe or refractory disease whose symptoms are inadequately controlled with existing therapy. This expands the previous approval in Japan in this indication for patients aged 12 years and older.

The approval in Japan is based on data from the overall population and those with a type 2 inflammation phenotype (defined by raised blood eosinophils and/or fractional exhaled nitric oxide) in VOYAGE (NCT02948959), a global phase 3 study evaluating Dupixent in children aged 6 to 11 years with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma. Additionally, data from EXCURSION (NCT03560466), an open-label extension of VOYAGE that included a sub-study of exclusively Japanese paediatric patients supported the approval. In the VOYAGE study, Dupixent added to standard-of-care asthma therapy significantly reduced severe exacerbations (by 54% to 65%, p<0.0001) and improved lung function (by 4.68% to 5.32%, p=0.0012, p=0.0009 and p=0.0036, respectively) in the overall population, those with type 2 inflammation, and those with raised blood eosinophils, compared to placebo. In the sub-study of Japanese paediatric patients, Dupixent improved lung function from baseline at 12 weeks and resulted in a low rate of severe asthma exacerbations over one year. The treatment-related adverse events most commonly reported with Dupixent were injection site reactions (erythema, edema, and induration) in VOYAGE and fever, oral herpes, eosinophilia, and injection site reactions (erythema and induration) in EXCURSION.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children. Despite treatment with current standard-of-care inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators, children may continue to experience serious symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Additionally, impaired lung function in young children can have potentially long-lasting impacts such as reduced lung growth and persistent airway obstruction, if not addressed early. Patients also may require the use of multiple courses of systemic corticosteroids that carry significant risks. Uncontrolled asthma can interfere with day-to-day activities, like sleeping, attending school, and playing sports.

In addition to asthma, Dupixent is approved in Japan in certain patients with atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), prurigo nodularis, chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dupixent has been approved in 50 countries around the world for the treatment of asthma in children aged 6 to 11 years.

Dupixent (dupilumab) is available in Japan as a 200 mg or 300 mg pre-filled syringe or pre-filled pen and is now available for children aged 6 to 11 years with asthma. Dupixent is intended for injection under the skin (subcutaneous injection) and is given every two or four weeks based on weight. It 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 if given at home.

Dupixent is a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 (IL4) and interleukin-13 (IL13) 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 studies, establishing that IL4 and IL13 are two of the key and central drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in multiple related and often co-morbid diseases.

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, CSU, COPD, and BP in different age populations. More than 1.3 million patients are being treated with Dupixent globally.

Dupilumab is being jointly developed by Sanofi and Regeneron under a global collaboration agreement. To date, dupilumab has been studied across more than 60 clinical studies involving more than 10,000 patients with various chronic diseases driven in part by type 2 inflammation.

In addition to the currently approved indications, Sanofi and Regeneron are studying dupilumab in a broad range of diseases driven by type 2 inflammation or other allergic processes in phase 3 studies, including chronic pruritus of unknown origin, lichen simplex chronicus, and allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. 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.

Regeneron 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.

Sanofi is an R&D driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth. The company apply its deep understanding of the immune system to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world, with an innovative pipeline that could benefit millions more.?

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