Recent research published in the COPD Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease demonstrated the effect of dupilumab in treating COPD in patients with higher eosinophil levels compared with other therapies, including tezepelumab.
The study aimed to understand the effects of biologics in treating COPD.
Researchers conducted a systemic review from various sources, such as Cochrane, EMBASE, and Medline, to evaluate the randomized trial of patients with COPD who were administered biological medications.
A random effects frequentist network meta-analysis was performed to demonstrate Relative Risk (RR). The GRADE system was used to report the certainty of the evidence. Various parameters, such as changes in FEV1, exacerbations, serious adverse events, and changes in quality of life, were estimated.
Results showed that dupilumab reduced exacerbations compared to placebo (RR 0.68). In comparison to other biologics, dupilumab lowered exacerbations more than mepolizumab (RR 0.74) and tezepelumab (RR 0.82).
Benralizumab (RR 0.89), tezepelumab (RR 0.83), and itepekimab (RR 0.81) reduced exacerbations compared to placebo.
Results also demonstrated that treatment with different biologics had no effect on FEV1 level above the pre-specified minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of 0.1 L, but compared to placebo, it showed MD 0.07.
In patients with blood eosinophils ≥300/mcL, both dupilumab (MD 0.13) and tezepelumab (MD 0.15) improved FEV1 above MCID.
