showed.
“About 4 years after dupilumab’s approval, we’re interested in how conjunctivitis has played out in our daily clinical practice,” lead study investigator Maria C. Schneeweiss, MD, said during the Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis symposium.
Drawing from two nationwide U.S. databases, MarketScan and Optum, Dr. Schneeweiss, of the department of dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and colleagues sought to characterize the incidence of bacterial and nonbacterial conjunctivitis among 6,730 patients with AD who started treatment with either dupilumab, methotrexate, mycophenolate, or cyclosporine between March 2017 and January 2020. They also wanted to identify patient subgroups at increased or decreased risk of dupilumab-related conjunctivitis in clinical practice.
Of the 6,730 patients, 3,755 started treatment with dupilumab, while 2,010 started with methotrexate, 536 started with mycophenolate, and 429 started with cyclosporine. Using a new-user, active-comparator study design, the researchers identified patients with AD from both databases and selected three dupilumab cohorts: dupilumab versus methotrexate (MTX), dupilumab versus mycophenolate (MMF), and dupilumab versus cyclosporine (CsA). Follow-up lasted 6 months and 1:1 propensity score matching was used to account for conjunctivitis risk factor differences. Patients with a history of conjunctivitis were excluded from the study, except one subgroup limited to those with prior conjunctivitis.
Dr. Schneeweiss reported that the overall incidence rate of conjunctivitis within 6 months of treatment initiation was 6.6% in dupilumab users, or 1 in 15 patients, compared with 3.3% in MTX users, 4.2% in MMF users, and 2.8% in CsA users. The incidence rates for the different types of conjunctivitis were as follows:
- Bacterial conjunctivitis: 1.5% in dupilumab users versus 0.95% in MTX, 0.4% in MMF, and 0.7% in CsA users.
- Allergic conjunctivitis: 2.2% in dupilumab users versus 0.8% in MTX, 0.2% in MMF, and 1.6% in CsA users.
- Keratoconjunctivitis: 0.8% in dupilumab users versus 1.1% in MTX, 1.5% in MMF, and 0.5% in CsA users.
In addition, the rate of conjunctivitis requiring ophthalmic medication was 2.6% in dupilumab users versus 0.7% in MTX, 1% in MMF, and 0.5% in CsA users.
After the researchers applied 1:1 propensity score matching, they observed that the risk of conjunctivitis within 6 months of starting treatment was increased in dupilumab users versus MTX users (relative risk, 2.12), dupilumab versus MMF users (RR, 2.43), and dupilumab versus CsA users (RR, 1.83). Among dupilumab users, the risk of conjunctivitis requiring ophthalmic medication was increased six to eightfold, compared with those who used MTX, MMF or CsA. In addition, bacterial conjunctivitis was increased 1.6- to 4.0-fold, compared with those who used MTX, MMF or CsA, but the confidence intervals were wide and included the null, while allergic conjunctivitis was increased 2.7- to 7-fold when compared with those who used MTX and MMF.
In other findings, the risk of allergic conjunctivitis was similar between dupilumab and CsA users (RR, 1.14), and there was no increased risk of keratoconjunctivitis in dupilumab users, compared with those who used MTX, MMF, or CsA. The relative risk of conjunctivitis in those who used dupilumab was further increased when the analysis was limited to AD patients with comorbid asthma (RR, 2.86), those who used systemic glucocorticoids fewer than 30 days prior (RR, 2.88), and those age 65 and older (RR, 2.57), compared with those who used methotrexate.
“Compared to AD patients who received treatment with other systemic agents, dupilumab treatment doubled the risk of conjunctivitis in clinical practice,” Dr. Schneeweiss concluded. “Risk factors that further increase the risk include comorbid asthma, use of systemic corticosteroids, and older age. It should be noted that conjunctivitis does not require treatment discontinuation and is manageable with ophthalmic medications.”
Lawrence J. Green, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at George Washington University, Washington, who was asked to comment on the study, said that the work “verifies what we see clinically: that conjunctivitis is increased among dupilumab users even when it is compared to immunosuppressive agents used to treat other conditions. Because the study is retrospective, one cannot assume all diagnosis of types of conjunctivitis or even of skin disease is entirely accurate. But, with the large numbers of claims looked at and compared, one would think its conclusions are accurate.”
Dr. Schneeweiss reported having no relevant financial disclosures. Dr. Green disclosed that he is a speaker, consultant, or investigator for Amgen, AbbVie, Arcutis, Brickell, Candescent, Cassiopeia, Dermavant, Galderma, Janssen, Forte, Incyte, MC-2, Lilly, Novartis, Novan, Ortho Dermatologics, Revance, Sun Pharma, UCB, and Vyne.