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Dr. Lockshin & Brooke

BROOKE: A few years back, I had intense itching and then what I thought were bug bites on my arms and legs.

I had red, itchy, inflamed bumps that just would not go away. I was very uncomfortable with how my skin looked.

And my skin would be so itchy, I was scratching constantly trying to find relief. But the scratching only made more bumps appear. I lived with this for years. The bumps would ooze and scab over. I kept thinking they were bug bites that just weren’t healing.

Eventually, my rheumatologist saw these bumps at one of my regular appointments and insisted that I follow up with a dermatologist.

DR. LOCKSHIN: Brooke came to me with a case of prurigo nodularis, or PN.

PN is an uncommon, chronic, itchy, inflammatory skin disease.

Although the cause is not completely understood, PN is thought to be related to an abnormal relationship between the skin, nervous system, and immune system. When you have PN, your nerves may send too many itch signals to the brain, which can lead to intense, persistent itching. The itching and scratching can, in turn, lead to inflammation, which further drives the itch.

It can be hard to diagnose sometimes because it’s an uncommon condition, but I recognized the bumps, or lesions, Brooke had on her arms and legs. She said her itching severity was at an 8 or 9 out of 10. I could tell she was suffering due to the signs and symptoms of the disease.

BROOKE: I had never heard of PN before. I had been living with this condition for three years, so I was very relieved to finally have a diagnosis and to know that I wasn’t doing anything to cause it.

Dr. Lockshin answered my questions, and then we started talking about management options. He mentioned a biologic treatment called DUPIXENT that might help my PN.

DR. LOCKSHIN: We needed a treatment option that could help lessen her itch and help her skin become clearer of PN bumps, and DUPIXENT is the first FDA-approved biologic treatment proven to help reduce PN symptoms.

Given Brooke's clear diagnosis of PN, I recommended that she start treatment with DUPIXENT. I treated several other PN patients with DUPIXENT and felt confident that this could be an appropriate treatment option for Brooke as well.

BROOKE: Dr. Lockshin and I have a good rapport, and I trusted his recommendation. He said that DUPIXENT is not a cream, an immunosuppressant, or a steroid. DUPIXENT is a biologic that works by blocking a source of inflammation which could contribute to PN.

And when Dr. Lockshin went over the safety and efficacy with me and told me about his experience treating PN with DUPIXENT, I decided to move forward with it.

Before I started DUPIXENT, I talked with Dr. Lockshin about all the medical conditions I had and medications I was taking.

Dr. Lockshin and I talked about the potential benefits and risks of treatment, including the most common side effects such as eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision...

...and some serious side effects including allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe, eye problems, and joint aches and pain.

DR. LOCKSHIN: Brooke was on DUPIXENT when I saw her for a follow-up appointment. Brooke's skin was clearer of PN bumps, and she experienced a reduction in itching. We were both pleased, to say the least, with how it was working for her.

Of course, this is just Brooke’s experience. Everyone’s experience with DUPIXENT will be different.

BROOKE: I know starting treatment was the right decision for me. My PN had been making my skin so uncomfortable. DUPIXENT helped reduce my itchiness, and my skin is clearer.

Since I don’t itch as much, I’m not scratching as frequently. I go about my busy life knowing that I am staying one step ahead of my PN symptoms, and that's a great feeling!

DR. LOCKSHIN: I’m glad that Brooke and I were able to find a treatment that works for her.

She always tells me how much she loves having skin that’s clearer and less itchy. I’ll never get tired of hearing that!

Important Safety Information
and Indication

Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT^®.

Before using DUPIXENT, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

• have eye problems.
• have a parasitic (helminth) infection.
• are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive a “live vaccine” right before and during treatment with DUPIXENT.
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby.
  • A pregnancy registry for women who take DUPIXENT during pregnancy collects information about the health of you and your baby. To enroll or get more information call 1-877-311-8972 or go to https://mothertobaby.org/ongoing-study/dupixent/.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known whether DUPIXENT passes into your breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical or inhaled corticosteroid medicines or if you have prurigo nodularis and asthma and use an asthma medicine. Do not change or stop your corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine to come back.

DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including:

• Allergic reactions. DUPIXENT can cause allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms: breathing problems or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, fast pulse, fever, hives, joint pain, general ill feeling, itching, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea or vomiting, or cramps in your stomach-area.
• Eye problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision, such as blurred vision. Your healthcare provider may send you to an ophthalmologist for an eye exam if needed.
• Joint aches and pain. Some people who use DUPIXENT have had trouble walking or moving due to their joint symptoms, and in some cases needed to be hospitalized. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or worsening joint symptoms. Your healthcare provider may stop DUPIXENT if you develop joint symptoms.

The most common side effects in patients with prurigo nodularis include eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, herpes virus infections, common cold symptoms (nasopharyngitis), dizziness, muscle pain, and diarrhea.

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It’s an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider.

Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information.

Indication

DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with prurigo nodularis (PN). It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with prurigo nodularis under 18 years of age.