The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan has granted marketing and manufacturing authorization for Dupixent (dupilumab) for the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in people aged 12 years and older whose disease is not adequately controlled with existing therapy. Japan is the first country to approve Dupixent for CSU, emphasizing the value of Dupixent as a novel treatment option to manage this disease in patients with unmet needs.
CSU is a chronic inflammatory skin disease driven in part by type 2 inflammation, which causes sudden and debilitating hives and persistent itch. CSU is typically treated with histamine (H1) antihistamines, medicines that target H1 receptors on cells to control symptoms of urticaria. However, the disease remains uncontrolled despite antihistamine treatment in many patients, some of whom are left with limited alternative treatment options. These individuals continue to experience symptoms that can be debilitating and significantly impact their quality of life. Approximately 110,000 people aged 12 years and older suffer from uncontrolled moderate-to-severe CSU in Japan, for which there are currently limited treatments.
The Japanese approval is based primarily on data from Study A of the LIBERTY-CUPID clinical trial program evaluating Dupixent as an add-on therapy to standard-of-care H1 antihistamines compared to antihistamines alone (placebo) in 138 patients with CSU who remained symptomatic despite antihistamine use and were not previously treated with omalizumab. This study met the primary and all key secondary endpoints. Patients taking Dupixent added to standard-of-care antihistamines experienced a significant reduction in itch severity compared to standard of care alone at 24 weeks. The safety profile of Dupixent in CSU was generally consistent with the known safety of Dupixent in its approved dermatological indications.
In addition to CSU, Dupixent is approved in Japan in certain patients with atopic dermatitis, asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), and prurigo nodularis.