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DiscussionNew medication Dupiexnt just approved Sept.
COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (25)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "Have you started Dupixent and if you have has it helped you? My eosinophil count is..."
@bonhurst I started Dupixent last week. I'm stage 3 emphysema/COPD and am under the care of a wonderful pulmonologist at Mayo. I see him every 6 months. I'm still very active and not on O2. My bloodwork over the past year has shown an increasing high eosinophil count. My most recent CT scan showed significant inflammation in my lungs and airway. Lots of additional bloodwork to rule out other possible causes. After those all came back within normal ranges, he referred me to another physician at Mayo, an immunologist/allergist.
After meeting with her and discussing my history and recent test results, she recommended that I start on Dupixent. There are certain criteria that a patient must meet to be prescribed this. High eosinophil count is one of them. However, when I met with her, the FDA had not yet approved it for COPD. She knew that it was scheduled to be approved the last week in September, which it was. She had been prescribing it for her asthma patients. It has been FDA approved for asthma and some other conditions.
As soon as it was approved, she prescribed Dupixent for me and I started it last week. As others have mentioned, it is self-injection, every two weeks (similar to an epi-pen). I'm scheduled for my second injection this week. It is a biologic that specifically targets the inflammation in the lungs and airway. The prescription is filled through a specialty pharmacy (whichever one your insurance company works with) and mine was shipped via FedEx as it has to remain refrigerated/cooled until you use it.
I have noticed that overall, my breathing is easier and I'm not as short of breath doing things that were beginning to be a little more of a challenge. I still use my maintenance inhaler (Breztri) twice a day (morning and evening) and have used my rescue inhaler a few times during the day.
My doctor told me that some of her asthma patients have had dramatic, positive results, many who have been able to wean themselves down or off their inhalers.
I have learned and created some personal rules over the past few years since my diagnosis.
*Everyone is different and responds to medication differently. Don't automatically expect to see the same results as others talk about.
*Be your own best healthcare advocate. Don't be afraid or intimidated to ask questions.
*If you're not comfortable with or don't trust your physician, find one that you do.
*Do your research. There are many reputable organizations/sites that provide great information. Educate yourself!
My apologies for the length of this response but hope it helps in some small way.
Yes I started it last week. Dupiexnt targets the inflammation that happens in the lung and airway. It is an injection that you take yourself every two weeks. It comes in a pen already prefilled so it's very simple. My next injection is due Wednesday . Ask your doctor about it. In my case my doctor didn't know anything about it. I told him about it and he had to discuss it with his colleague. After he researched it he prescribed it to me.