Rhinology future debates, an EUFOREA report

The first Rhinology Future Debates was held in Brussels in December 2016, organized by EUFOREA (European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airways diseases). The purpose of these debates is to bring novel developments in the field of Rhinology to the attention of the medical, paramedical and patient community, in a highly credible and balanced context. For the first time in Rhinology, a peer to peer scientific exchange with key experts in the field of rhinology and key medical colleagues from leading industries let to a brainstorming and discussion event on a number of hot issues in Rhinology. Novel developments are presented by key experts from industry and/or key thought leaders in Rhinology, and then followed by a lively debate on the potential positioning of new developments in care pathways, the strengths and weaknesses of the novel development(s), and comparisons with existing and/or competing products, devices, and/or molecules. As all debates are recorded and distributed on-line with limited editing (www.rhinology-future.com), EUFOREA aims at maximizing the education of the target groups on novel developments, allowing a critical appraisal of the future and a more rapid implementation of promising novel tools, techniques and/or molecules in clinical practise in Europe. The next Rhinology Future debate will be held in Brussels in December 2017

Dupilumab Improves Nasal Polyp Burden and Asthma Control in Patients With CRSwNP and AERD

In the difficult-to-treat subgroup of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and comorbid aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease, dupilumab significantly improved CRSwNP disease outcomes, along with asthma control and lung function. This is preliminary evidence of the effect of dupilumab in patients with CRSwNP and comorbid aspirin- exacerbated respiratory disease

Dupilumab demonstrated efficacy and was well tolerated regardless of prior use of swallowed topical corticosteroids in adolescent and adult patients with eosinophilic oesophagitis: a subgroup analysis of the phase 3 LIBERTY EoE TREET study

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of long-term dupilumab on histological, symptomatic and endoscopic aspects of eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) in adolescent and adult patients with and without prior use of swallowed topical corticosteroids (STC) or prior inadequate response, intolerance or contraindication to STC. DESIGN Pre-specified analysis of data from the phase 3 LIBERTY EoE TREET study on patients who received dupilumab 300 mg once a week or placebo for 24 weeks (W24) in parts A and B, and an additional 28 weeks (W52) in part C. Patients were categorised as with/without prior STC use and with/without inadequate/intolerance/contraindication to STC. The proportion of patients achieving ≤6 eosinophils per high-power field (eos/hpf), absolute change in Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) score, mean change in Endoscopic Reference Score and Histologic Scoring System grade/stage scores were assessed for each subgroup. RESULTS Regardless of prior STC use, dupilumab increased the proportion of patients achieving ≤6 eos/hpf and improved DSQ score versus placebo at W24, with improvements maintained or improved at W52. The DSQ score and the proportion of patients achieving ≤6 eos/hpf after switching from placebo to dupilumab at W24 were similar to those observed in the dupilumab group at W24, regardless of prior STC use or inadequate/intolerance/contraindication to STC. Improvements in other outcomes with dupilumab were similar in patients with/without prior STC use or inadequate/intolerance/contraindication to STC. CONCLUSION Dupilumab 300 mg once a week demonstrated efficacy and was well tolerated in patients with EoE regardless of prior STC use or inadequate response, intolerance and/or contraindication to STC. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT03633617

Clinical Efficacy among Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps and Clinical Features of Obstructive Lung Disease: Post Hoc Analysis of the Phase III SINUS-24 and SINUS-52 Studies

PURPOSE: To provide a descriptive summary of clinical efficacy and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and clinical features of obstructive lung disease in the Phase III dupilumab studies SINUS-24 and SINUS-52 (NCT02912468, NCT02898454). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients met a broad definition of having clinical features of obstructive lung disease with any of 3 criteria: (i) pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV RESULTS: Across both studies, 131 patients met the broad definition, of whom 90 also had asthma, and 115 patients met the narrow definition, of whom 74 had asthma. CRSwNP outcomes and HRQoL were improved with dupilumab vs placebo in both the broad and narrow subgroups. Among the 90 patients who met the broad definition and had asthma, dupilumab improved pre-bronchodilator FEV CONCLUSION: In a population of patients with CRSwNP and clinical features of obstructive lung disease, dupilumab improved CRSwNP and HRQoL outcomes, and, among those with a history of asthma, also improved lung function. These results support further analyses of dupilumab in patients with evidence of type 2 inflammation and obstructive lung disease such as COPD

Dupilumab as an Adjunct to Oral Immunotherapy in Pediatric Patients With Peanut Allergy.

BACKGROUND: Peanut allergy is a common, life-threatening food allergy in children. We evaluated whether dupilumab, which blocks the activity of interleukin (IL)-4/IL-13, enhances the efficacy of oral immunotherapy (OIT) AR101 in pediatric patients with peanut allergy. METHODS: A Phase II, multicenter, randomized, double-blind study was conducted in the USA (NCT03682770) in pediatric patients (6-≤ 17 years old) with confirmed peanut allergy. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive dupilumab + OIT or placebo + OIT during a 28-40-week up-dosing period. Patients in the dupilumab + OIT group were re-randomized 1:1 and received dupilumab + OIT or placebo + OIT during 24-week OIT maintenance, undergoing a 2044 mg (cumulative) of peanut protein double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) following up-dosing, maintenance, and at 12-week post-treatment follow-up. RESULTS: The study enrolled 148 patients, 123 of whom were included in the modified full analysis set, with a mean age of 11.1 years. Dupilumab + OIT treatment (n = 84) led to a 20.2% increase (p < 0.05) in the number of patients who passed a DBPCFC to 2044 mg (cumulative) of peanut protein following the up-dosing period versus placebo (OIT alone, n = 39). Following the OIT maintenance period, continuous dupilumab treatment improved the number of patients who passed a DBPCFC to 2044 mg (cumulative) of peanut protein versus patients continuously on OIT alone (16.6% difference [95% CI -9.7, 42.8], p = 0.2123). Safety was consistent with known dupilumab safety profile. CONCLUSIONS: Dupilumab provided a modest increase efficacy of OIT in children and adolescents with peanut allergy, though it did not provide protection against OIT-related anaphylaxis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03793608

Conjunctivitis in Dupilumab Clinical Trials for Adolescents with Atopic Dermatitis or Asthma

Background: Conjunctivitis is a known comorbidity of atopic dermatitis. Dupilumab clinical trials for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in adults showed a higher conjunctivitis incidence for dupilumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients, whereas trials for uncontrolled asthma reported lower rates for both dupilumab and placebo. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence and severity of conjunctivitis in dupilumab clinical trials in adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis or uncontrolled asthma. Methods: We evaluated the incidence of conjunctivitis in adolescents (aged 12 to < 18 years) in three phase III trials. Ocular events were diagnosed and treated based on patient-reported symptoms and an external eye examination by study investigators, in most cases without an ophthalmologic referral. In LIBERTY AD ADOL (16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial), adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis were randomized to subcutaneous placebo, dupilumab 300 mg every 4 weeks, or dupilumab every 2 weeks (200 mg, patients < 60 kg at baseline; 300 mg, ≥ 60 kg at baseline). In LIBERTY AD PED-OLE (open-label extension), pediatric patients from previous dupilumab atopic dermatitis trials received dupilumab 2 mg/kg or 4 mg/kg weekly (up to 300 mg) or 300 mg every 4 weeks. In LIBERTY ASTHMA QUEST (randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial), patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma were randomized to 52 weeks of add-on therapy with dupilumab 200 or 300 mg every 2 weeks or matched-volume placebo. Results: In ADOL, more dupilumab-treated (17/165; 10.3%) than placebo-treated patients (4/85; 4.7%) reported one or more conjunctivitis event. All events were mild to moderate in severity; 12 (7.3%) dupilumab-treated and 4 (4.7%) placebo-treated patients received treatment. Most patients with conjunctivitis (dupilumab, 12/17; placebo, 4/4) recovered/resolved during the treatment period. The risk of conjunctivitis showed no relationship with dupilumab serum concentration. In PED-OLE, 12/275 adolescents (4.4%) reported one or more conjunctivitis event. Most conjunctivitis events were mild to moderate. Ten patients received treatment for conjunctivitis. Ten patients recovered/resolved during the study. In QUEST, similar low proportions of dupilumab-treated (2/68, 2.9%) and placebo-treated (1/39, 2.6%) adolescents reported one or more conjunctivitis event. All events were mild to moderate. One dupilumab-treated patient received treatment for conjunctivitis. All cases recovered/resolved during the study. No patients in these trials discontinued study treatment temporarily or permanently because of conjunctivitis. In ADOL, one case of unspecified viral keratitis (specific viral etiology not known) in the dupilumab 300-mg every 4 weeks group and one case of allergic blepharitis in the placebo group were reported; both events resolved during the treatment period, and neither led to treatment discontinuation. Conclusions: Dupilumab-treated adolescents in atopic dermatitis trials had a higher incidence of conjunctivitis than placebo-treated patients, whereas overall rates of conjunctivitis among adolescents in the asthma trial were lower than in atopic dermatitis trials and were similar for dupilumab- and placebo-treated patients. Most events were mild to moderate, most recovered/resolved, and none prompted study withdrawal. These results are similar to those reported in adult trials and support a drug–disease interaction. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT03054428, NCT02612454, NCT02414854. [MediaObject not available: see fulltext.