Dupilumab in patients with prurigo nodularis: two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials

Nat Med. 2023 May;29(5):1180-1190. doi: 10.1038/s41591-023-02320-9. Epub 2023 May 4.

Abstract

Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with intensely pruritic nodules. The LIBERTY-PN PRIME and PRIME2 phase 3 trials enrolled adults with PN with ≥20 nodules and severe itch uncontrolled with topical therapies. Dupilumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody, blocks the shared receptor component for interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13. Patients were randomized 1:1 to 300 mg dupilumab or placebo subcutaneously every 2 weeks for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was pruritus improvement, measured by proportion of patients with a ≥4-point reduction in Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (WI-NRS) from baseline at week 24 (PRIME) or week 12 (PRIME2). Key secondary endpoints included nodule number reduction to ≤5 at week 24. PRIME and PRIME2 enrolled 151 and 160 patients, respectively. Both trials met all the pre-specified primary and key secondary endpoints. A ≥4-point WI-NRS reduction at week 24 in the dupilumab and placebo arms was achieved by 60.0% and 18.4% of patients, respectively, in PRIME (95% confidence interval (CI), 27.8-57.7 for the difference, P < 0.001) and at week 12 by 37.2% and 22.0% of patients, respectively, in PRIME2 (95% CI, 2.3-31.2; P = 0.022). Dupilumab demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvements in itch and skin lesions versus placebo in PN. Safety was consistent with the known dupilumab safety profile.ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT04183335 and NCT04202679 .

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Clinical Trial, Phase III
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Chronic Disease
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Humans
  • Injections, Subcutaneous
  • Prurigo* / drug therapy
  • Pruritus / drug therapy
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • dupilumab

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04202679
  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04183335