Sanofi and Regeneron have strengthened the efficacy profile of their popular biologic Dupixent for treating eczema, showing positive results for patients with darker skin tones, based on Phase IV trial data released on Sunday.
The study involved 120 patients with atopic dermatitis, with approximately 80% of participants identifying as Black. The rest were from diverse ethnic backgrounds, including Asian, American Indian, Arab, and Central American descent.
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition driven by type 2 inflammation. It can present differently in patients with darker skin, often leading to more severe symptoms such as increased skin dryness, prolonged discoloration, and hardened skin lesions. Additionally, inflammation may be harder to detect in darker skin, sometimes manifesting as more subtle skin changes, which can lead to underestimating the severity of the disease.
The latest data showed that Dupixent, when administered every two weeks, led to at least a 75% improvement in overall disease severity in 76% of patients, with some showing significant benefits as early as two weeks into treatment. The drug also helped alleviate itching in over half of the patients and reduced post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation by 53% compared to baseline.
Furthermore, the percentage of patients reporting being “very” or “extremely” bothered by dry skin dropped from 78% at the start of the study to just 18% after 24 weeks.
Regarding safety, Sanofi and Regeneron stated that the adverse events associated with Dupixent were consistent with previous reports for the drug’s dermatology applications. Common side effects included headache, upper respiratory infections, and eye inflammation. Dupixent works by blocking certain interleukin signals and is used to treat inflammation-related conditions.
This new data adds to Dupixent’s growing success. In April 2025, the drug received FDA approval for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), making it the first new targeted treatment for this condition in over a decade. Dupixent had previously been rejected for CSU in October 2023 due to insufficient efficacy evidence, but a subsequent study in September 2024 demonstrated nearly a 50% reduction in itch and urticaria activity in patients.
Beyond CSU, Dupixent was also approved as the first biologic for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in September 2024. It is already approved for asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, eosinophilic esophagitis, and prurigo nodularis. In 2024, Dupixent generated more than \$14 billion in revenue, marking a 22% year-over-year increase.
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