Sanofi blockbuster drug receives US approval for lung disease

Sanofi's Dupixent has been approved in the US for a chronic lung disease, another milestone for the blockbuster drug following a similar decision by European regulators.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to the vaccine as an add-on treatment for some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Sanofi said in a statement on Friday. According to Sanofi, Dupixent improved lung function and improved quality of life in patients with COPD in two landmark studies.

The drug, developed jointly with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., is already one of the industry leaders. It is currently prescribed for conditions ranging from asthma to some skin conditions. It is now also the first new treatment approach in more than a decade for COPD, a life-threatening inflammatory airway disease that leads to obstruction of air circulation.