FINDINGS from two Phase 3 clinical trials, BOREAS and NOTUS, revealed that dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting key drivers of type 2 inflammation, improves health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This large-scale pooled analysis was presented at the CHEST 2024 Annual Meeting in Boston, October 6-9. The authors presented evidence for the drug’s impact on reducing symptoms and improving outcomes for patients with COPD with elevated eosinophil levels.
COPD is a progressive respiratory condition that severely impacts daily life and overall well-being. In these trials, HRQoL was assessed using the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), a widely used patient-reported outcome measure in respiratory disease. The trials involved 1,660 participants with COPD and type 2 inflammation (blood eosinophil count ≥300 cells/mL), all of whom were already receiving standard inhaled triple therapy. Patients were randomized to receive 300 mg of dupilumab or placebo every 2 weeks.
After 52 weeks of treatment, patients on dupilumab experienced improvements in their SGRQ total scores, with a least-squares mean difference of -3.366 compared to placebo (P < .0001). Improvements were observed across all individual SGRQ domains: symptoms, activity, and impact. The authors observed reductions of -3.502 in symptoms, -3.997 in activity, and -2.870 in impact domain scores (P-values < 0.001). The data is indicative of improvements in daily functioning and overall well-being for patients treated with dupilumab. Dupilumab also reduced the rate of moderate or severe exacerbations and improved lung function in patients. According to lead researcher, Dr. Surya Bhatt, “These findings demonstrate the potential of dupilumab to address both exacerbations and quality of life in COPD patients, especially those with type 2 inflammation.” Given these results, dupilumab may represent a valuable add-on therapy for patients with COPD struggling despite inhaled triple therapy. Reference: Bhatt Surya et al. Dupilumab improves health-related quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and type 2 inflammation: pooled BOREAS and NOTUS results. Abstract 4061. CHEST Annual Meeting. October 6-9, 2024. Anaya Malik
