Background: Dupilumab was equally effective among all racial subgroups in clinical trials, but a direct comparison in daily practice is lacking.
Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of dupilumab in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) in the Netherlands and Japan over 80 weeks of treatment.
Methods: A longitudinal comparative cohort study was conducted in patients with AD who were treated with dupilumab in daily practice. We used linear mixed-effects models to determine changes over time.
Results: We found statistically significant differences in sex, disease onset, body mass index and therapeutic history between Dutch (n = 208) and Japanese (n = 153) patients. The baseline Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score was higher in Japanese patients (23·8 vs. 14·8), while baseline Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) were higher in Dutch patients. EASI scores decreased quickly to a level indicating 'mild disease' (EASI < 7), and remained low in both countries. However, PROMs showed different trajectories with better scores in Japan.
Conclusions: Dupilumab showed significant, comparable and sustained improvement of EASI scores in Japanese and Dutch patients. However, we found striking differences in the effect on PROMs between the countries, with a better outcome in Japanese patients.
© 2021 The Authors. British Journal of Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Association of Dermatologists.