Long‐term real‐world experience of the side effects of dupilumab in 128 patients with atopic dermatitis and related conditions aged 6 years and above: Retrospective chart analysis from a single tertiary care center

Dupilumab is a monoclonal antibody against interleukins 4 and 13 currently FDA approved for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults and adolescents and severe AD in children aged 6-11 years. It is reported to be safe with the most common side effects described from clinical trials being conjunctivitis, nasopharyngitis and injection site reactions. Outside the clinical trial setting, there is insufficient data on the side effects of dupilumab in adults with AD, and much less among children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to analyze the spectrum of side effects in all patients receiving dupilumab for the treatment of AD and related conditions in a real-world setting at a single tertiary referral center, and correlate any risk factors for the development of these side effects. A retrospective review of electronic medical records was conducted for all patients who had received dupilumab for a minimum of 2 months for the treatment of AD and related conditions in the department of dermatology at Rashid hospital, Dubai from February 2018 to November 2021. We analyzed the medical records of 128 patients who received dupilumab according to standard age-related dosing. This included 78 adults (age range 18-81 years) and 50 children and adolescents (aged 6-17 years). There were 73 males and 55 females. The mean duration of dupilumab treatment was 14.9 months. The most common side effects encountered during dupilumab therapy were head and neck dermatitis in 25 (19.5%), conjunctivitis in 20 (15.6%), erythema, pruritus and peeling of skin in 14 (10.9%) and dryness of eyes in 10 (7.8%) patients, respectively. Overall, dupilumab was well-tolerated in our patient population. Most of the side effects were mild and did not require discontinuation of dupilumab. These findings would enable dermatologists understand the side effects of dupilumab better, resulting in improved treatment plan decisions in clinical practice.