View Estimates Incidence of Dupilumab-Related Conjunctivitis

One in 15 patients who initiate dupilumab medicines might maybe well furthermore honest rep conjunctivitis at some level of the major 6 months, most of which is manageable with ophthalmic treatments, outcomes from wise gaze of U.S. claims files confirmed.

“About 4 years after dupilumab’s approval, we’re drawn to how conjunctivitis has performed out in our day-to-day clinical be aware,” lead gaze investigator Maria C. Schneeweiss, MD, talked about at some level of the Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis symposium.

Drawing from two nationwide U.S. databases, MarketScan and Optum, Schneeweiss, of the department of dermatology at Brigham and Ladies folks’s Effectively being center, Boston, and colleagues sought to suggest the incidence of bacterial and nonbacterial conjunctivitis amongst 6,730 patients with AD who started medicines with either dupilumab, methotrexate, mycophenolate, or cyclosporine between March 2017 and January 2020. They furthermore wished to title affected person subgroups at increased or diminished threat of dupilumab-related conjunctivitis in clinical be aware.

Of the 6,730 patients, 3,755 started medicines with dupilumab, whereas 2,010 started with methotrexate, 536 started with mycophenolate, and 429 started with cyclosporine. Utilizing a brand fresh-person, appealing-comparator gaze create, the researchers identified patients with AD from each and each databases and chosen three dupilumab cohorts: dupilumab versus methotrexate (MTX), dupilumab versus mycophenolate (MMF), and dupilumab versus cyclosporine (CsA). Observe-up lasted 6 months and 1:1 propensity ranking matching turned into as soon as extinct to legend for conjunctivitis threat factor variations. Patients with a historical previous of conjunctivitis were excluded from the gaze, other than one subgroup restricted to these with prior conjunctivitis.

Schneeweiss reported that the total incidence fee of conjunctivitis within 6 months of medicines initiation turned into as soon as 6.6% in dupilumab customers, or 1 in 15 patients, when put next with 3.3% in MTX customers, 4.2% in MMF customers, and 2.8% in CsA customers. The incidence rates for the more than just a few forms of conjunctivitis were as follows:

• Bacterial conjunctivitis: 1.5% in dupilumab customers versus 0.95% in MTX, 0.4% in MMF, and nil.7% in CsA customers.

• Allergic conjunctivitis: 2.2% in dupilumab customers versus 0.8% in MTX, 0.2% in MMF, and 1.6% in CsA customers.

• Keratoconjunctivitis: 0.8% in dupilumab customers versus 1.1% in MTX, 1.5% in MMF, and nil.5% in CsA customers.

As well to, the scamper of conjunctivitis requiring ophthalmic medication turned into as soon as 2.6% in dupilumab customers versus 0.7% in MTX, 1% in MMF, and nil.5% in CsA customers.

After the researchers utilized 1:1 propensity ranking matching, they noticed that the threat of conjunctivitis within 6 months of starting medicines turned into as soon as increased in dupilumab customers versus MTX customers (relative threat, 2.12), dupilumab versus MMF customers (RR, 2.43), and dupilumab versus CsA customers (RR, 1.83). Amongst dupilumab customers, the threat of conjunctivitis requiring ophthalmic medication turned into as soon as increased six to eightfold, when put next with these that extinct MTX, MMF or CsA. As well to, bacterial conjunctivitis turned into as soon as increased 1.6- to 4.0-fold, when put next with these that extinct MTX, MMF or CsA, nevertheless the self assurance intervals were wide and integrated the null, whereas allergic conjunctivitis turned into as soon as increased 2.7- to 7-fold when put next with these that extinct MTX and MMF.

In varied findings, the threat of allergic conjunctivitis turned into as soon as identical between dupilumab and CsA customers (RR, 1.14), and there turned into as soon as no increased threat of keratoconjunctivitis in dupilumab customers, when put next with these that extinct MTX, MMF, or CsA. The relative threat of conjunctivitis in these that extinct dupilumab turned into as soon as extra increased when the prognosis turned into as soon as restricted to AD patients with comorbid bronchial asthma (RR, 2.86), these that extinct systemic glucocorticoids fewer than 30 days prior (RR, 2.88), and these age 65 and older (RR, 2.57), when put next with these that extinct methotrexate.

“As in contrast with AD patients who got medicines with varied systemic agents, dupilumab medicines doubled the threat of conjunctivitis in clinical be aware,” Schneeweiss concluded. “Possibility factors that extra amplify the threat encompass comorbid bronchial asthma, exercise of systemic corticosteroids, and older age. It might furthermore honest unruffled be neatly-known that conjunctivitis does no longer require medicines discontinuation and is manageable with ophthalmic medicines.”

Lawrence J. Green, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at George Washington University, Washington, who turned into as soon as requested to observation on the gaze, talked about that the work “verifies what we gaze clinically: that conjunctivitis is increased amongst dupilumab customers even when it’s some distance when put next with immunosuppressive agents extinct to treat varied stipulations. Since the gaze is retrospective, one can no longer grab all prognosis of forms of conjunctivitis and even of skin illness is entirely honest. However, with the wise numbers of claims regarded at and when put next, one would issue its conclusions are honest.”

Schneeweiss reported having no related financial disclosures. Green disclosed that he is a speaker, book, or investigator for Amgen, AbbVie, Arcutis, Brickell, Candescent, Cassiopeia, Dermavant, Galderma, Janssen, Enviornment of expertise, Incyte, MC-2, Lilly, Novartis, Novan, Ortho Dermatologics, Revance, Sun Pharma, UCB, and Vyne.

This article at first seemed on MDedge.com, half of the Medscape Expert Community.