Dupilumab for Bullous Pemphigoid

Dupilumab is a biologic drug that can treat moderate to severe eczema, asthma, and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis. It is also used to treat a skin disease called Bullous pemphigoid (BP).

BP is an autoimmune skin disease that results in the formation of pruritic blisters and it mainly affects older people.

1. A case study consisted of 13 patients (average age of 76.8 years) and the average duration of BP before dupilumab initiation was 28.8 months. After the initiation of dupilumab, a satisfactory response was achieved in 92.3% (12 of 13) of the patients. The satisfactory response was done on the basis of disease improvement and the patient’s desire to stay on the medication without documentation of disease clearance. Total clearance of the BP was achieved in 53.8% (7of 13) of patients and no adverse events were reported.

The only limitation of this study was that it was a small sample size.

2. Another case study used a combination of omalizumab and dupilumab to treat bullous pemphigoid and it was a success.

3. The third case study consisted of 24 patients. eight of whom received dupilumab in combination with methylprednisolone and azathioprine, while the other 16 patients received methylprednisolone and azathioprine. The group which received dupilumab in combination with methylprednisolone and azathioprine was more effective than the other group which only received methylprednisolone and azathioprine. It helped in controlling disease progression and accelerating the tapering of glucocorticoids.

Dupilumab can also help in the treatment of pruritic disorders, including chronic spontaneous urticaria, anal and genital itch, allergic contact dermatitis (eczema), and prurigo nodularis.

All of these case studies show that dupilumab proves to be an effective treatment for bullous pemphigoid.