Life-changing drug approved for use across the UK
Lottie from our policy team, tells us about a new biologic drug called Dupilumab, which is now approved for use across the UK to treat severe asthma.
Around 200,000 people in the UK have asthma that is so severe that it doesn’t respond to usual asthma treatments. Until relatively recently, the only treatment option for people with severe asthma was to take long-term steroid tablets, which are life saving but can cause side effects including mood swings, diabetes and osteoporosis. Fortunately, we now have life-changing treatment options known as biologics or mAbs but they have strict criteria as to who can be treated with them and the current ones available don’t always work for everyone.
This is why we have been campaigning hard to get a new biologic, called dupilumab, available to everyone across the UK. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) approved its use in Scotland in April 2021 and now the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved its use for the rest of the UK.
What is Dupilumab?
Dupilumab is a biologic drug that is injected every couple of weeks and is taken alongside your usual asthma treatments. It is recommended for people with Type 2 inflammation which is asthma that is associated with allergy, higher risk of asthma attacks, hospitalisation and steroid tablet use. Clinical trials have found Dupilumab to cut the risk of an asthma attack by half.
Who can access it?
In order to access Dupilumab, you need to have been referred to a specialist by your GP or hospital doctor. If you have had two or more courses of oral steroid tablets or stayed in hospital overnight in the last year, then you should speak to your GP about a referral to a specialist.
To be eligible for Dupilumab you need to meet the following criteria:
You are taking all your medicines as instructed by your doctor.
You have a blood eosinophil count of 150 cells per microlitre or more and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) of 25 parts per billion or more.
You have had 4 or more asthma attacks in the previous 12 months.
You aren’t eligible for other biologics or your asthma has not responded adequately to other biologic treatments.
Dupilumab is already available for people in Scotland, and we expect the rest of the UK to be able to access it by the end of January 2022.
What can I do now?
If you have uncontrolled asthma, have to take steroid tablets or have been in hospital in the last year then we urge you to use our online interactive tool to see if you could benefit from a referral to a specialist and assessment for use of biologic treatments. If you are already being seen by a specialist and think you might meet the criteria for dupilumab then you should speak to your doctor about your treatment options.
What will Asthma UK do now?
Although this is fantastic news, we know that only 18% of people with suspected severe asthma are referred when they should be and around 46,000 people potentially eligible for current biologics are still missing out. There is still much more to do so we will continue to campaign for increased referrals and access to these life-changing drugs.
If you are struggling to manage your asthma and haven’t already tried our interactive tool, then why don’t you give it a go now? Test it out here.
Donate today and help do 3 amazing things
for people with asthma
Asthma UK’s mission is to stop asthma attacks and cure asthma. We do this by funding world leading research, campaigning for improved care and supporting people to reduce their risk of a potentially life-threatening asthma attack. Will you help us do all this and more