(BPT) - "I was out of breath all the time."
For Julie, it was a diagnosis that came as a shock - and had a huge impact on her life. She started having exacerbations that were so bad, she said, "just about anything" made it difficult for her to breathe. And, when she made it to her doctor, the diagnosis she received surprised her: Julie had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
COPD is a progressive disease that can damage the lungs and makes it harder to breathe. People living with COPD can experience constant, persistent cough and difficulty breathing when doing daily activities, such as getting dressed in the morning, walking up the stairs, or going to work.
Julie, who is sharing her story in partnership with Sanofi and Regeneron, had worked as a server at a restaurant in western Florida for 17 years before her COPD became too much and she had to quit. She tried various treatments but was still having symptoms. "The doctor had said that I needed oxygen at night, so I did that for a couple of years. The most difficult was when I had to use a rescue inhaler what seemed like every hour on the hour because I couldn't breathe well at all."
Between the impact on her daily life and inhaled treatments that just weren't doing enough, Julie knew that she had to make a change. So, when she heard about a clinical trial for a new type of COPD medicine, she jumped at the opportunity to participate.
Fast forward six months and Julie noticed a difference after taking Dupixent® (dupilumab) as part of a clinical trial. Dupixent was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2024 as a prescription medicine used with other medicines for maintenance treatment of adults with inadequately controlled COPD and a high number of blood eosinophils (a type of white blood cell that may contribute to your COPD). In two clinical trials, Dupixent reduced the number of flare-ups and helped patients breathe better with long-lasting lung function improvement over one year.
Dupixent is not used to relieve sudden breathing problems and will not replace an inhaled rescue medicine.
Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in Dupixent. The most common side effects in patients with COPD include injection site reactions, common cold symptoms (nasopharyngitis), high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), viral infection, back pain, inflammation inside the nose (rhinitis), diarrhea, gastritis, joint pain (arthralgia), toothache, headache, and urinary tract infection.
Please see additional Important Safety Information below.
Julie's personal experience in the Dupixent clinical trial breathed fresh air into how she approaches her life. "Before I started taking it, I couldn't walk very far. I would get so out of breath walking the length of my house," she explained. "Then I started taking Dupixent and I was able to do more and walk farther around the block." Individual results may vary.
Fifty-one percent of patients that received Dupixent in the clinical trials reported an improvement in their day-to-day lives*.
Encouraged by her improved lung function and less exacerbations, Julie adopted a dog - something she didn't think would be an option for her. "Now, because I can breathe better, I can have a dog that doesn't need a fenced-in yard. I can go outside with her in the morning and take her out and we can go on walks."
In the U.S., approximately 300,000 people live with inadequately controlled COPD and a high number of eosinophils like Julie, and many continue to experience exacerbations, or flare-ups, despite taking inhaled medicines. Upon diagnosis, a blood test measuring the amount of eosinophils can help provide insights into a patient's COPD and their management plan. Although there's been some progress in the treatment of COPD, there has been a strong need for novel treatment approaches, particularly for patients whose disease is not well controlled on inhaled therapies alone. Dupixent is a first-of-its-kind add-on maintenance treatment that can reduce the number of flare-ups and can help improve breathing.
Julie is excited for the possibilities that have opened up for her. "I can go to the store and walk around and not be so out of breath like I used to be. I even got a job which I thought was pretty good for a 78-year-old!"
*Assessed by a quality of life tool called SGRQ that measures COPD symptoms physical activity, emotional well-being, and social functioning. In two trials, 51% of patients who received Dupixent + standard of care therapy experienced a quality of life improvement vs 43% and 47% with placebo + standard of care therapy. In one trial, results are descriptive; no definitive conclusions can be made.
Learn more about Dupixent here.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION & INDICATION
Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT®.
Before using DUPIXENT, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:
- have eye problems.
- have a parasitic (helminth) infection.
- are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive a "live vaccine" right before and during treatment with DUPIXENT.
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby.
- A pregnancy registry for women who take DUPIXENT during pregnancy collects information about the health of you and your baby. To enroll or get more information call 1-877-311-8972 or go to https://mothertobaby.org/ongoing-study/dupixent/.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known whether DUPIXENT passes into your breast milk.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medicines or have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and also have asthma. Do not change or stop your other medicines, including corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine, without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by those medicines to come back.
DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including:
- Allergic reactions. DUPIXENT can cause allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms: breathing problems or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, fast pulse, fever, hives, joint pain, general ill feeling, itching, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea or vomiting, or cramps in your stomach-area.
- Eye problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision, such as blurred vision. Your healthcare provider may send you to an ophthalmologist for an exam if needed.
- Joint aches and pain. Some people who use DUPIXENT have had trouble walking or moving due to their joint symptoms, and in some cases needed to be hospitalized. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or worsening joint symptoms. Your healthcare provider may stop DUPIXENT if you develop joint symptoms.
The most common side effects in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease include injection site reactions, common cold symptoms (nasopharyngitis), high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), viral infection, back pain, inflammation inside the nose (rhinitis), diarrhea, gastritis, joint pain (arthralgia), toothache, headache, and urinary tract infection.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It's an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider.
Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information.
INDICATION
DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used with other medicines for the maintenance treatment of adults with inadequately controlled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a high number of blood eosinophils (a type of white blood cell that may contribute to your COPD). DUPIXENT is used to reduce the number of flare-ups (the worsening of your COPD symptoms for several days) and can improve your breathing. DUPIXENT is not used to relieve sudden breathing problems and will not replace an inhaled rescue medicine. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease under 18 years of age.
| US.DUP.24.11.0062 | 11/2024 |
