Effectiveness and economic impact of Dupilumab in asthma: a population-based cohort study

RATIONALE: Severe asthma is burdened by relevant socio-economic and clinical impact. Randomized controlled trials on Dupilumab showed efficacy and a good safety profile, but post-market studies are needed. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of Dupilumab on (i) the use of anti-asthmatic drugs, including oral corticosteroids (OCS), (ii) the rates of asthma exacerbation-related hospital admissions, and (iii) the healthcare costs in patients with asthma. METHODS: Data were retrieved from Healthcare Utilization database of Lombardy region (Italy). We compared healthcare resources use between the 6 months after Dupilumab initiation (“post-intervention period”) and (i) the 6 months before Dupilumab initiation (“wash-out period”) and (ii) the corresponding 6 months of the prior year (“pre-intervention period”). MAIN RESULTS: In a cohort of 176 patients, Dupilumab significantly reduced anti-asthmatic drugs use (including OCS and short-acting β2-agonists, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)/long-acting β2-agonists and ICS alone) when comparing the “pre-intervention” to the “post-intervention” period. When considering hospital admissions, we observed a not statistically or marginally significant reduction between both periods before Dupilumab and the post-intervention period. Six-months discontinuation rate was 8%. Overall healthcare costs had a tenfold increase between the “pre-intervention” and “post-intervention” period, which was mainly led by the biologic drug cost. Conversely, expenditures connected to hospital admissions did not change. CONCLUSIONS: Our real-world investigation suggests that Dupilumab reduced anti-asthmatic drugs use, including OCS, in comparison to a corresponding period in the prior year. However, long-term healthcare sustainability remains an open issue. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12931-023-02372-y.