Doctors prescribe dupilumab (Dupixent) to treat a range of health conditions, including asthma and eczema. Here are seven things you should know about taking this drug.
1. Dupilumab (Dupixent) Treats Several Conditions
You might take dupilumab to treat one or more health conditions in which inflammation plays a role. Doctors usually prescribe it only after other medications don’t work well enough to control your symptoms. The conditions it treats include:
- Asthma. This condition causes your airways to become inflamed and narrowed. The result is trouble breathing, coughing, and other symptoms. Your doctor might prescribe dupilumab if you are 12 or older and have moderate to severe asthma. You’ll likely take it along with other asthma drugs.
- Atopic dermatitis (eczema). This skin condition causes dryness, itchiness, and inflammation. Dupilumab is used to help control the symptoms of moderate to severe eczema in people 6 months old and older when topical medications (those you apply to your skin) don’t work. You might take it alone or in addition to other eczema treatments.
- Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). When you have this condition, you have a long-lasting sinus infection along with polyps (noncancerous growths) in your nasal passages and sinuses. Dupilumab can shrink the growths and reduce the need for surgery, as well as ease symptoms like congestion.
- Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). This allergic condition affects your esophagus, the tube that connects your throat to your stomach. Inflammation in the area can cause pain and trouble swallowing, among other symptoms. Dupilumab is the only FDA-approved treatment for this condition.
2. Dupilumab (Dupixent) Targets Inflammation
This drug works by blocking the action of certain proteins that contribute to inflammation, which is one way your body responds to injury or infection.
Scientists who study asthma and eczema think these conditions happen when your immune system triggers inflammation by mistake – even when you’re not injured or have an infection. Dupilumab helps tame this inflammation, possibly resulting in fewer symptoms like trouble breathing, skin rash, and itchiness.
Dupilumab is targeted to two specific proteins. So it doesn’t keep your immune system from working correctly.
3. You Take Dupilumab (Dupixent) by Injection
The only way to take dupilumab is by a shot just under your skin. The drug is available as a prefilled syringe or in a self-injector pen.
Your doctor will give you the first dose at their office and can show you how to do the injections yourself. After that, you may be able to give yourself or your child treatments at home.
How often you need to take this medication depends on your age, size, and what you use the drug for.
You might need two shots for the first treatment in your doctor’s office. For asthma, eczema, or chronic rhinosinusitis, most adults get a follow-up shot every 2 weeks. Small children might get one every 4 weeks. Eosinophilic esophagitis generally requires a weekly shot.
You can take the shot in the front of your thigh or your stomach area, or, if someone else is injecting you, the back of your upper arm. If you alternate the location each time, you’re less likely to have a skin reaction at the injection site.
You’ll need to keep taking dupilumab long-term unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
4. Dupilumab (Dupixent) Can Cause Side Effects
Dupilumab is generally considered safe. But it can cause side effects in some people. Some of the most common issues that have affected people who took the drug are:
- Redness or pain in the skin where the needle went in
- Dry, itchy eyes
- Pinkeye
- Eyelid swelling
- Inflammation of the cornea (the clear part of the eye)
- Cold sores or other herpes simplex virus infection
Contact your doctor if any of these side effects linger or turn serious.
How could dupilumab cause eye symptoms? Scientists think that as the drug blocks certain proteins in your immune system, it may also interfere with cells that keep your eyes lubricated.
If your body already carries a herpes simplex virus that can cause cold sores and other issues, it might flare up when you take dupilumab.
Some people who’ve taken dupilumab have reported joint aches and pains, including some that made it harder for them to walk. Tell your doctor if you have new joint pains or if existing ones get worse.
It’s possible to have a serious allergic reaction to this drug. Call 911 right away if you have signs of an allergic reaction, especially if you have trouble swallowing or breathing.
5. Dupilumab (Dupixent) Comes With Some Warnings
Dupilumab’s label carries several warnings and precautions. Some things to look out for include:
- Hypersensitivity. You could get hives, rash, skin inflammation, or even a serious allergic reaction while taking dupilumab. Stop taking the drug if you have a reaction.
- Pinkeye or inflammation of the cornea (conjunctivitis or keratitis). Tell your doctor if these eye symptoms start suddenly or get worse.
- Eosinophilic conditions. Watch out for skin inflammation, nerve damage, or lung symptoms that get worse, especially if you’ve lowered your dose of corticosteroids.
- Lowering your dose of corticosteroids. Continue taking corticosteroids as prescribed while taking dupilumab. Talk to your doctor about gradually lowering the dose.
- Parasitic infections. Before starting dupilumab, talk to your doctor about treating any current parasitic infections. Doctors don’t know whether the drug might keep treatments for these infections from working. So you’ll need to get treatment for the infection before you start taking dupilumab.
- Vaccinations. Because dupilumab could affect your immune response, avoid “live” vaccines (those that use a weak form of the germ that causes a disease) while you take it. Live vaccines include those for measles, mumps, and chickenpox.
6. Some People Shouldn’t Take Dupilumab (Dupixent)
Anyone who’s allergic to dupilumab or any of its ingredients shouldn’t take this drug. You can find a full list of ingredients in the information that comes with your prescription.
Talk to your doctor before you start taking this drug if you’re pregnant or nursing or if you plan to be. We don’t have enough research to know whether dupilumab can cause problems with a pregnancy or affect a fetus. Doctors also don’t know if it could pass into breast milk or cause side effects in a nursing baby.
On the other hand, asthma that’s not well-controlled can raise your risk for pregnancy complications. Your doctor will weigh the pros and cons before prescribing dupilumab.
7. Dupilumab (Dupixent) Can Effectively Prevent Symptoms
Researchers have studied dupilumab in several clinical trials. Here are some of the results:
Asthma. Adults and children with serious asthma took either dupilumab or a fake drug called a placebo. Those who got dupilumab had fewer asthma attacks, fewer visits to the hospital, and were able to reduce their use of corticosteroids. They also showed better lung function, some in as little as 2 weeks.
Eczema. Researchers also looked at how well dupilumab works in people with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema. They measured results after people took the drug for 4 months. Every age group (adults, teens, and children) that took the drug saw clearer skin within 16 weeks than people who took a placebo.
Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. Adults who took dupilumab had less congestion and reductions in their nasal growth (polyps) compared to those who took a placebo. Some said their ability to smell improved in as little as 3 days.
Eosinophilic esophagitis. After 24 weeks, adults and teens who took dupilumab had less trouble swallowing and fewer signs of white blood cells called eosinophils (a sign of inflammation) than those who got a fake placebo treatment.
