Though a relatively new term, biologic medications have been in development for decades, including human growth hormones, red blood cell-stimulating agents, and, most famously, insulin (Morrow & Felcone, 2004). These medications all fall under the umbrella term of biologics, drug treatments isolated from natural sources composed of sugars, proteins, nucleic acids, or living organisms like cells (Center, 2023). Unlike conventional drugs, such as aspirin, they are much more complex and act as targeted therapeutics by manipulating protein production (Morrow & Felcone, 2004). With greater knowledge of genetics and cell processes comes more biological production, which in turn isolates processes and grants even greater understanding of related diseases and functions, essentially building a cycle of innovation and discovery for the biomedical industry (Morrow & Felcone, 2004). 

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Dupixent (dupilumab) is one such biologic developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sanofi (Regeneron, 2018). As an antibody, it targets the interleukin IL-4 receptor, a group of proteins that regulates both IL-4 and IL-13 cytokines (Sastre & Dávila, 2018; Verkhratsky & Butt, 2023). Cytokines are proteins secreted by cells to help coordinate immune system responses, and both IL-4 and IL-13 lead to inflammatory responses to allergens that cause hives, itching, and dry skin (Thibodeaux et al., 2019). Importantly, IL-4 also promotes the differentiation of Th2 (T helper 2) cells that release more IL-4 and IL-13 cytokines as well as immunoglobulin E (IgE), which are antibodies released by the immune system as an overreaction to harmless allergens (Pelaia et al., 2022; American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, 2025).

 

IL-13, on the other hand, is responsible for airway hypersensitivity, mucus overproduction, bronchial remodeling characteristic of asthma, and other inflammatory respiratory diseases (Pelaia et al., 2022). These cytokines work hand-in-hand to strengthen and maintain allergic responses to harmful allergens. Dupixent (dupilumab) has been developed to antagonize the shared interleukin node, which in turn obstructs the combined production of the proteins (including antibodies, hormones, and T cells) that result in type-2 inflammatory and allergic diseases like eczema, asthma, and chronic hives (Regeneron, 2018). Dupixent, like many biologics, cannot be taken orally lest it be digested by the digestive tract, and so Regeneron developed a pen containing 200-300 mg of dupilumab that can be injected subcutaneously (United States Food and Drug Administration, n.d.). 

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Duxipent (dupilumab) was in the production and testing phase for over a decade before its initial FDA approval for use in 2017 by adult patients with moderate-to-severe dermatitis whose condition is not adequately controlled by the prescribed topical treatment (Sastre & Dávila, 2018). Over the next couple of years, Dupixent was approved for many type 2 inflammatory diseases like atopic dermatitis in patients 6 months or older, asthma as an add-on therapy for patients 6 years or older, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for patients with a certain phenotype, and, most recently, chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in April of 2025 (United States Food and Drug Administration, n.d.). CSU is an allergic condition where hives, or swollen red welts on the skin, can be caused by interaction with an allergen or other substance (American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, n.d.). 

CSU marks the seventh type-2 inflammatory disease for which Dupixent has been approved, evidencing Dupilumab’s wide range of uses (Sanofi, 2025). Biologic medications are particularly expensive to manufacture, having to be isolated from an organism and structurally maintained while sensitive to heat and damage, and remain difficult to understand. Dupilumab’s ability to address multiple different and very common inflammatory diseases marks its creation as a significant breakthrough (Center, 2023). 

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Traditional immunosuppressants, meanwhile, often have adverse long-term effects, and many patients are actually resistant to such therapy (Sastre & Dávila, 2018). Dupilumab’s specific targeting of allergy-related processes by obstructing the interleukin IL-(4) receptor allows for a much safer and effective form of treatment. Though efforts have been made to develop similar biologics in the past, they have often isolated specific conditions rather than the IL-4 and IL-13 cytokines themselves (Maspero et al., 2022). As a biologic, dupilumab allows us to identify protein production related to inflammatory diseases and enhance our understanding of allergic processes. When it comes to predicting allergy development and responses, which are the result of a complex interplay between genetics and environmental factors, dupilumab and other biologics as targeted therapies may play a larger role in exploring the causes and nature of the allergic condition affecting a growing global population (Allergy and Asthma Clinic of Central Texas, 2026).

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References 

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Allergy and Asthma Clinic of Central Texas. (2026). Why Are You Allergic? Allergycentex.com. https://www.allergycentex.com/contents/allergy-information/why-are-you-allergic 

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American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. (n.d.). Chronic Spontaneous/Idiopathic Urticaria (Chronic Hives). ACAAI Public Website. 

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