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Dupilumab - the miracle cure?

Dupilumab - the miracle cure? Skip to main content

Dupilumab - the miracle cure?

I have been following the recent trials for dupilumab, for the past year. I had really pinned my hopes on it being the cure for eczema, so imagine my happiness when I received an email from the National Eczema Association, explaining that it had been approved by the FDA!

I have done a fair bit of research into dupilumab, and from what I have gathered, it is administrated as an injection once every 2 weeks. Which isn't ideal, but at this point I am willing to try anything. After trying everything from steroid creams and tablets, to oat baths, coconut oil, aloe vera and phototherapy; I am now coming to the point, were my only option left is imunosuppressants. As a pharmacy student, I have access to a lot of resources which have allowed me to continuously read about the terrifying side effects caused by ciclosporin. During my revision last night, I even read it can potentially make women sterile!

However dupilumab, has only a few known side effects such as eye infections and injection site reactions, although it is a new drug, so the long term effects are not known. From what I can gather, although the drug is not licensed in the UK yet, it is available on the Early Access Medicines Scheme and can be prescribed by a dermatologist. The requirements are that a patient has severe eczema and has tried all available treatments, therefore I am not sure I would qualify as I haven't tried ciclosporin yet.

There are a few different clinical trials you can read to get more information on the success of dupilumab -SOLO 1, SOLO 2 and CHRONOS. So is dupilumab the miracle cure for eczema? No I don't think so, as there has been no research into how long patients will have to continue with the treatment - possibly indefinitely. Plus the fact, it is most effective when used with steroids, which I think will put a lot of people off, especially those that have been affected by TSW. However, I will be enquiring about this treatment with my dermatologist, to see if it may be something I could try in the near future.


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Steroid creams tend be the most effective and commonly used treatment for eczema sufferers. They come in a range of strengths from mildly potent up to very potent. Although this may not always be pointed out to you by your doctor, the level of potency is very important to know for your own safety. The potency level is normally mentioned on the label when you collect it from the pharmacy. The higher the potency the more damage the steroid cream can do to your skin, so its important to use them very sparingly and for the least possible time. Too much of a high potency cream could make you very unwell and could leave you with some side effects you would get from taking a steroid tablet. Although steroid creams are not very effective for me at the moment I have a big range of them as you can see. In my personal experience I only get results if I use them on a mild flare, which stops its from getting to the point I'm in now, were nothing seems to work. I have hydrocortisone 0....
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