Dupilumab efficacy in high sleep disturbance management among patients with type 2 asthma

Patients with asthma often experience sleep disturbances. We assessed the 5-item Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ-5) score ≥2.5 as a useful threshold to identify patients with moderate-to-severe type 2 asthma and high sleep disturbance (HSD) and investigated dupilumab efficacy on clinical and sleep-related outcomes among patients with HSD.

QUEST (NCT02414854) data were used in this post hoc analysis. A composite endpoint from validated patient-reported outcomes was developed to identify patients with HSD using sleep-related items from the ACQ-5, Asthma-Related Quality-of-Life Questionnaire, Rhino-Conjunctivitis Quality-of-Life Questionnaire, and Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22. Impairment in at least 1 item was considered an indication of HSD. Change from baseline to Week 52 in nighttime symptoms, ACQ-5 score, lung function, annualized severe exacerbation rates (AER), and short-acting β-agonists use during treatment was used to assess dupilumab efficacy.

In type 2 asthma patients, 64% had HSD at baseline; of those with ACQ-5 ≥2.5 at baseline, 82% had HSD. In this population, dupilumab reduced nighttime symptoms and ACQ-5 score by 0.31 and 0.56 points, respectively, by Week 52 versus placebo, and led to a 66% reduction in AER during QUEST and 0.34 L improvement in pre-bronchodilator (pre-BD) forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) at Week 52.

A majority of patients with moderate-to-severe type 2 asthma with ACQ-5 ≥2.5 at baseline had HSD. Dupilumab reduced nighttime symptoms and exacerbations, and improved lung function, overall asthma control, and quality of life. Further studies are needed to confirm the association between ACQ-5 score ≥2.5 and higher sleep disturbance rates.