Dupixent Side Effects May Increase Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) Risks

Users may be nine times more likely to report a Dupixent CTCL diagnosis to the FDA, compared to users of Rinvoq and other eczema treatments.

Using Dupixent to treat eczema may come at the cost of increased cancer risks that are not shared by similar drugs, according to the findings of a recent study.

A report published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) in June, adds to growing concerns about a potential link between Dupixent and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a rare cancer that is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Dupixent (dupilumab) was developed by Sanofi and Regeneron, and launched in 2017, as a treatment for various inflammatory conditions among both adults and children as young as six months, who cannot control atopic dermatitis with topical treatments.

CTCL is a cancer of the body’s T-lymphocytes. Its symptoms often resemble eczema, including scaly, itchy rashes that may progress into thickened patches or tumors. When detected early, patients have about a 90% survival rate at 10 years, but that rate falls to just over 50% if the Dupixent cancer is diagnosed at advanced stages.

Although typically slow-growing and marked by long periods of remission, CTCL has no known cure.

As a result of these serious and potentially life-threatening side effects, which the manufacturers have not adequately warned about, lawyers are now reviewing Dupixent lawsuits for individuals diagnosed with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) after receiving the injection.

Led by Dr. Shamir Geller from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the team of researchers conducted a cohort study of examining cancer incidents reported at the center between the date when the drug was first approved and 2024, comparing data on Dupixent to competing drugs, including Rinvoq, Adbry and Adtralza.

“Cases of dupilumab treatment followed by cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) diagnosis have been reported since dupilumab was approved for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in 2017. The nature of this association is controversial: it may reflect dupilumab unmasking an underlying CTCL, dupilumab promoting lymphoid-reaction… or CTCL developing in patients with advanced long-standing AD, regardless of treatment.”

— Dr. Shamir Geller, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

According to their analysis, the center saw 30 patients who were exposed to Dupixent and developed CTCL since 2017. There were no cases of CTCL developing in patients with any of the other eczema treatments, the researchers report.

The researchers note data published by Dr. Geller in JAAD in January showed people taking Dupixent were nearly nine times more likely to report a CTCL diagnosis to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adverse reporting system, compared to those who did not take the drug.

Dr. Geller’s team concluded that their findings challenge any claims that the lymphoma is caused by eczema and called for additional research.

Similar conclusions were reached in another study posted in JAAD in August 2024, which was conducted by Dr. Robert T. Brodell of the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

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