Effectiveness and Safety of Dupilumab for Prurigo Nodularis in China: A Multicentric and Observational Study

Abstract

Background: The efficacy and safety of dupilumab in patients with refractory prurigo nodularis (PN) is well established in clinical trials, but there is a lack of multicenter data regarding its effectiveness and safety in real-world settings. Methods: Patients with moderate-to-severe PN who initiated dupilumab treatment between July 2023 and January 2024, with a follow-up period of at least 16 weeks at 10 hospitals in China were included. We used peak pruritus numeric rating scale (PP-NRS), investigator global assessment (IGA) for PN, and dermatology life quality index for adults or children (DLQI/CDLQI) to assess disease control status and quality of life impairment, and monitored adverse events to assess the safety. Results: A total of 73 PN patients (33 female, 40 male; mean age 45.9 ± 21.5 years) were included. A clinically meaningful improvement of ≥ 4 points in PP-NRS (PP-NRS4) was achieved in 84.9% of patients at Week 12. The percentage of patients achieving IGA 0/1 significantly increasing from 0% to 37.0% and 46.6% at Week 12 and 16, respectively. Patient-reported quality of life outcomes showed substantial improvement, with decreasing from 16.6 ± 6.8 at baseline to 7.2 ± 4.9 at Week 12, 6.4 ± 4.5 at Week 16. The safety profile of dupilumab was favorable, with one patient reporting dry eyes. Conclusion: Dupilumab can effectively improve the pruritus, nodular lesions and quality of life for PN in real-world settings.