On Wednesday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Dupixent (dupilumab) to treat adults with nasal polyps (growths on the inner lining of the sinuses) accompanied by chronic rhinosinusitis (prolonged inflammation of the sinuses and nasal cavity). This is the first treatment approved for inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

“Nasal polyps can lead to loss of smell, and, often, patients require surgery to remove the polyps,” said Sally Seymour, MD, director of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Rheumatology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Dupixent provides an important treatment option for patients whose nasal polyps are not adequately controlled with intranasal steroids. It also reduces the need for nasal polyp surgery and oral steroids.”

Dupixent is given by injection. The efficacy and safety of Dupixent were established in two studies with 724 patients, 18 years and older with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps who were symptomatic despite taking intranasal corticosteroids. Patients who received Dupixent had statistically significant reductions in their nasal polyp size and nasal congestion compared to the placebo group. Patients taking Dupixent also reported an increased ability to smell and required less nasal polyp surgery and fewer oral steroids.

Dupixent may cause serious allergic reactions and eye problems, such as inflammation of the eye (conjunctivitis) and inflammation of the cornea (keratitis). If patients experience new or worsening eye symptoms, such as redness, itching, pain, or visual changes, they should consult their health-care professional. The most common side effects reported include injection site reactions as well as eye and eyelid inflammation, which included redness, swelling, and itching. Patients receiving Dupixent should avoid receiving live vaccines.

Dupixent was originally approved in 2017 for patients 12 and older with eczema that is not controlled adequately by topical therapies or when those therapies are not advisable. In 2018, Dupixent was approved as an add-on maintenance treatment for patients 12 years and older with moderate-to-severe eosinophilic asthma or with oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma.

The FDA granted this application Priority Review. The approval of Dupixent was granted to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

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The FDA, an agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.