Dupixent® (dupilumab) Approved in China as the First-ever Biologic Medicine for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Approval follows EU approval of Dupixent for adults with COPD with raised blood eosinophils, and is based on two landmark Phase 3 trials showing Dupixent significantly reduced exacerbations, improved lung function and also improved health-related quality of life

COPD is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease in China, and is a priority within the government’s Healthy China 2030 public health plan

Dupixent is now approved in four indications across respiratory and dermatological diseases in China

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and PARIS, Sept. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Sanofi today announced that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China has approved Dupixent^® (dupilumab) as an add-on maintenance treatment for adults with uncontrolled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) characterized by raised blood eosinophils. Specifically, the approval covers patients already on a combination of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), a long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) and a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), or on a combination of a LABA and a LAMA if ICS is not appropriate. Dupixent for the treatment of COPD has been approved in more than 30 countries worldwide, including the 27 countries in the European Union (EU).

“The impact of COPD extends far beyond the patient. Debilitating breathlessness and irreversible lung damage make it difficult for patients to do simple daily tasks, placing a significant burden on family members, the central caregivers in Chinese families,” said Professor Kang Jian, Chair of COPD Branch, Chinese Association of Chest Physicians, CMDA, Respiratory Department of First Hospital of China Medical University. “The approval of Dupixent for COPD in China is critical, as it fills a gap in targeted therapy for the disease and provides clinicians with a new treatment approach. This offers new hope for COPD patients who remain inadequately controlled even after triple therapy, as well as those who care for them.”

“One in four people with COPD live in China, and many patients are unable to control their disease with standard of care treatments and experience repeated hospitalizations from exacerbations and debilitating limitations on their quality of life,” said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Board co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer at Regeneron, and a principal inventor of Dupixent. “With millions of people in industrialized areas worldwide facing increased risk for developing COPD, it is more important than ever to deliver innovative new options for this complex and notoriously difficult-to-treat disease. With this latest Dupixent approval, patients in China have a novel treatment approach that has shown groundbreaking results by reducing exacerbations while also improving lung function and supporting a better quality of life.”

Despite the high prevalence and burden of COPD in China, public awareness is limited. The Healthy China 2030 public health initiative includes a focus on addressing chronic respiratory diseases like COPD and aims to improve the quality of life for patients with COPD. 

The approval is based on results from the landmark BOREAS and NOTUS Phase 3 trials, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of Dupixent in adults with uncontrolled COPD with raised blood eosinophils. All patients were on background maximal standard-of-care inhaled therapy (nearly all on triple therapy). Dupixent significantly reduced COPD exacerbations by 30% and 34% compared to placebo in the BOREAS and NOTUS trials respectively. Dupixent significantly and rapidly improved lung function compared to placebo, with improvements sustained at 52 weeks. Improvements in health-related quality of life (statistically significant in BOREAS and nominally significant in NOTUS) compared to placebo were also observed, as assessed by the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Data from both trials were published in separate manuscripts in The New England Journal of Medicine (BOREAS and NOTUS).

Safety results in both trials were generally consistent with the known safety profile of Dupixent in its approved indications. The most common side effects across indications include injection site reactions, conjunctivitis, conjunctivitis allergic, arthralgia, oral herpes and eosinophilia. Additional adverse reactions of injection site bruising, injection site induration, injection site rash and injection site dermatitis were reported in the COPD trials. Adverse events more commonly observed with Dupixent (≥5%) compared to placebo in either COPD trial were back pain, COVID-19, diarrhea, headache and nasopharyngitis.

“China has the largest number of people living with COPD worldwide, and a significant proportion of patients are uncontrolled on current therapies and desperate for an effective treatment option,” said Houman Ashrafian, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Head of Research and Development at Sanofi. “The Dupixent COPD clinical program has furthered our scientific understanding of COPD, and given us a new way to think about which patients could benefit most from such a treatment. With its well-established safety and efficacy profile, Dupixent is a long-awaited advancement for patients, caregivers and physicians who are desperate for a new treatment option.”

Additional submissions for Dupixent in COPD are under review with regulatory authorities around the world, including in the U.S. and Japan.

About COPD
COPD is a respiratory disease that damages the lungs and causes progressive lung function decline. Symptoms include persistent cough, excessive mucus production and shortness of breath that may impair the ability to perform routine daily activities, which may lead to sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression. COPD is also associated with a significant health and economic burden due to recurrent acute exacerbations that require systemic corticosteroid treatment and/or lead to hospitalization. Smoking and exposure to noxious particles are key risk factors for COPD, but even individuals who quit smoking can still have progressive lung disease.

About half of COPD patients continue to experience exacerbations despite being on triple inhaled therapy. Patients with an eosinophilic phenotype contribute to a ~30% increase in exacerbations and an increased risk of COPD-related re-hospitalizations within a year.

About Regeneron and Sanofi’s COPD Clinical Research Program
Regeneron and Sanofi are motivated to transform the treatment paradigm of COPD by examining the role different types of inflammation play in the disease progression through the investigation of two potentially first-in-class biologics, Dupixent and itepekimab.

Dupixent inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) pathways and the program focuses on a specific population of people with evidence of type 2 inflammation. Itepekimab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds to and inhibits interleukin-33 (IL-33), an initiator and amplifier of broad inflammation in COPD.

Itepekimab is currently under clinical investigation for COPD in two Phase 3 trials and its safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by any regulatory authority.

About Dupixent
Dupixent is available in China in a 300 mg dose as a pre-filled syringe or pre-filled pen and is now available for COPD. Dupixent is intended for injection under the skin (subcutaneous injection) and is given every other week. It can be given in a clinic or at home by self-administration after training by a healthcare professional.

Dupixent, which was invented using Regeneron’s proprietary VelocImmune^® technology, is a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the IL-4 and 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 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, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, eosinophilic esophagitis, prurigo nodularis, chronic spontaneous urticaria and COPD 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-bbf).

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 by type 2 inflammation or other allergic processes in Phase 3 trials, including chronic pruritus of unknown origin 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.

U.S. INDICATIONS
DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used:

• to treat adults and children 6 months of age and older with moderate-to-severe eczema (atopic dermatitis or AD) that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin (topical), or who cannot use topical therapies. DUPIXENT can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with atopic dermatitis under 6 months of age.
• with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma in adults and children 6 years of age and older whose asthma is not controlled with their current asthma medicines. DUPIXENT helps prevent severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) and can improve your breathing. DUPIXENT may also help reduce the amount of oral corticosteroids you need while preventing severe asthma attacks and improving your breathing. DUPIXENT is not used to treat sudden breathing problems. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with asthma under 6 years of age.
• with other medicines for the maintenance treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in adults and children 12 years of age and older whose disease is not controlled. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps under 12 years of age.
• to treat adults and children 1 year of age and older with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), who weigh at least 33 pounds (15 kg). It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with eosinophilic esophagitis under 1 year of age, or who weigh less than 33 pounds (15 kg).
• to treat adults with prurigo nodularis (PN). It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with prurigo nodularis under 18 years of age.
  

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT^®.

Before using DUPIXENT, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

• have eye problems.
• have a parasitic (helminth) infection.
• are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive a “live vaccine” right before and during treatment with DUPIXENT.
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby.
  • A pregnancy registry for women who take DUPIXENT during pregnancy collects information about the health of you and your baby. To enroll or get more information call 1-877-311-8972 or go to https://mothertobaby.org/ongoing-study/dupixent/
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known whether DUPIXENT passes into your breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medicines; have asthma and use an asthma medicine; or have atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, eosinophilic esophagitis, or prurigo nodularis and also have asthma. Do not change or stop your corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine to come back.
DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including:

• Allergic reactions. DUPIXENT can cause allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms: breathing problems or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, fast pulse, fever, hives, joint pain, general ill feeling, itching, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea or vomiting, or cramps in your stomach-area.
• Eye problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision, such as blurred vision. Your healthcare provider may send you to an ophthalmologist for an exam if needed.
• Inflammation of your blood vessels. Rarely, this can happen in people with asthma who receive DUPIXENT. This may happen in people who also take a steroid medicine by mouth that is being stopped or the dose is being lowered. It is not known whether this is caused by DUPIXENT. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have: rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of your arms or legs, or persistent fever.
• Joint aches and pain. Some people who use DUPIXENT have had trouble walking or moving due to their joint symptoms, and in some cases needed to be hospitalized. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or worsening joint symptoms. Your healthcare provider may stop DUPIXENT if you develop joint symptoms.

The most common side effects include:

• Eczema: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, dry eye, cold sores in your mouth or on your lips, and high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia).
• Asthma: injection site reactions, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), pain in the throat (oropharyngeal pain), and parasitic (helminth) infections.
• Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), gastritis, joint pain (arthralgia), trouble sleeping (insomnia), and toothache.
• Eosinophilic Esophagitis: injection site reactions, upper respiratory tract infections, cold sores in your mouth or on your lips, and joint pain (arthralgia).
• Prurigo Nodularis: eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, herpes virus infections, common cold symptoms (nasopharyngitis), dizziness, muscle pain, and diarrhea.
  

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It’s an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider. In children 12 years of age and older, it’s recommended DUPIXENT be administered by or under supervision of an adult. In children 6 months to less than 12 years of age, DUPIXENT should be given by a caregiver.

Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information.

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.

For more information , please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow Regeneron on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or X.

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.

Sanofi is listed on EURONEXT: SAN and NASDAQ: SNY

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