Analysis: Dupilumab-Related Adverse Events Less Common in Black Adults With AD

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Black/AA adults with atopic dermatitis (AD) treated with dupilumab reported fewer adverse events than White counterparts in a single-center review.

• Ocular The most common side effects were ocular-related, with lower overall incidence in Black/AA were the most common, but overall incidence was lower in Black/AA patients.

• The samle size was small and the findings were not statistically signficant; researchers said larger analyses are warranted. 

A retrospective chart review in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology yielded insights into dupilumab-associated adverse events (d-AEs) in Black and African American (AA) adults treated for atopic dermatitis (AD).

The study included 130 Black/AA adult patients and 219 adult White adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD treated with dupilumab between 2017 and 2022. While ocular manifestations were the most frequently reported d-AEs for all groups, only 1 in 3 Black/AA patients reported a d-AE, compared with nearly 1 in 2 White patients. Overall, 79% of patients did not report adverse events of any kind. The relative risk of d-AEs in Black/AA patients was lower overall (RR = 0.78; 95% CI 0.46 to 1.34), but the relationship did not attain statistical significance. 

The study authors noted small sample size as a limitation.

“Considering that diverse racial/ethnic representation is low in many dermatologic clinical trials, it is important to assess real-life outcomes of medication efficacy and safety outcomes in [skin of color] patients,” the authors wrote. “Larger datasets from multiple institutions are needed to assess whether these findings are statistically significant.”

Source:  Anusionwu I, et al. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2025;24(10).