The first targeted therapy drug to treat smokers' bronchitis was approved by the European Commission, the pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced on Wednesday.
The drug, Dupixent, will be used as a supplementary treatment for uncontrolled Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in adults. The Commission is the first international regulatory authority to green-light it, Sanofi highlighted in their statement.
"With today’s approval of Dupixent, we can change the treatment landscape for the more than 200,000 patients throughout the EU," said CEO at Sanofi, Paul Hudson.
COPD, commonly called chronic bronchitis, is highly associated with smoking. It is traditionally treated with inhaled medication that opens the airways. This is often combined with a steroid to control inflammation. The onset of severe flair-ups, known as exacerbations, is a sign of a worsening prognosis.
Tests show that Dupixent can reduce at least 30% of these critical exacerbations over a 52-week period for patients who display type-2 inflammation and are undergoing a triple treatment foundation with short and long-acting inhalers combined with steroids. Patients' lung function was noted to improve for around one year.
Over 70% of COPD cases, in high-income countries, are associated with smoking, making it the third leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization.
Symptoms of the disease typically include chronic cough, shortness of breath, and excessive mucus production, which can hinder everyday activities.
The treatment with Dupinex is also currently under review in the USA, Japan and China for managing the progressive inflammatory lung disease.
