Sanofi and Regeneron rejiggered their longstanding antibody partnership based on underwhelming sales of key drugs in the past. But one thing that won't change is their collaboration on promising immunology med Dupixent, and positive data in a rare indication could give both drugmakers more reason to stay together.
Dupixent cut patients' difficulty swallowing by 69% after 24 weeks compared with an improvement of 32% in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) patients treated with placebo, according to data from the first segment of a phase 3 trial released Friday.
In the 81-patient study, those treated with weekly 300-milligram doses of Dupixent also saw a significant reduction in esophageal eosinophil levels––a measure of inflammation––compared with placebo, the drugmakers said in a release.
Dupixent, an IL-4/IL-13 inhibitor, hopes to become the first approved biologic to treat EoE, which affects around 160,000 U.S. patients each year and is often treated with steroids or esophageal dilation surgery, the companies said.
Dupixent's safety profile was similar to past studies, with 86% of patients reporting an adverse effect––mostly injection site reactions––compared with 82% in the placebo arm. One patient discontinued due to joint pain, the companies said.
Sanofi and Regeneron are running a second segment of the study for a different dosing regimen and expect to present findings from part A at an upcoming medical meeting.
