Dupilumab safety and efficacy in uncontrolled asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

<i>Objective</i>: We aimed to perform a meta-analysis evaluating the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in patients with uncontrolled asthma. <i>Data source</i>: A search of electronic databases was performed using PubMed, Cochrane library and Embase. <i>Study selection</i>: The literature search was conducted independently by two reviewers. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared between placebo and dupilumab in patients with uncontrolled asthma were included in this analysis. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) and mean differences (MDs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for dichotomous and continuous data, respectively. <i>Results</i>: A total of four RCTs representing 2,992 patients were included. Pooled analysis showed significant reductions of the annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbation in the dupilumab group compared with placebo (RR 0.44; 95% CI 0.35–0.055; P Conclusion: Among patients with uncontrolled asthma, the addition of dupilumab was associated with a reduced risk of severe asthma exacerbations and improvement in FEV1 without an increased risk of adverse events apart from injection site reactions with dupilumab.