Blocking IL-4Rα with dupilumab (REGN668/SAR231893) rapidly suppresses major pathomechanisms in the skin of severe atopic dermatitis patients

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common inflammatory skin disease, with high unmet need for new therapies that are safe for chronic use. Emerging data suggest that TH2-cytokines play important roles in a variety of allergic and atopic conditions, including asthma and AD. In early phase clinical trials, dupilumab (a fully human monoclonal antibody against IL-4Rα that potently blocks IL-4 and IL-13 signaling) rapidly and markedly improved clinical measures in adults with either asthma (with elevated eosinophil counts) or moderate-to-severe AD. The pathomechanisms that may be impacted by IL-4/13 blockade in these disease settings have not yet been characterized in detail. Transcriptome analyses in pre- and post-treatment skin biopsies from patients with moderate-to-severe AD treated with dupilumab or placebo in two completed clinical trials 18 Patients with AD treated with dupilumab or placebo . 28 biopsies in LS Skin (16 pre-treatment and 12 post-treatment). 12 biopsies in NL Skin (7 pre-treatment and 5 post treatment)