Comparative efficacy and safety of dupilumab and swallowed topical corticosteroid formulations in eosinophilic esophagitis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

What was studied

This review pooled trials on eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE. It looked at people aged 12 years and up. The treatments were dupilumab and several swallowed steroid drugs. A drug that lowers stomach acid and a dummy drug were also included. In each trial, chance decided which treatment people got. A special method let the team compare drugs never tested side by side. The main goals were calmer tissue seen under a microscope, and easier swallowing.

What they found

The review took in 829 people across 27 treatment groups. Dupilumab worked better than the dummy drug. So did several of the swallowed steroid forms. This held for both tissue results and swallowing. No active drug did clearly better than another active drug. Safety data were too thin to rule out real gaps between drugs.

What it means for patients

The authors say both dupilumab and swallowed steroids work better than a dummy drug. But they found no clear gap between any 2 active drugs. They say these results only raise ideas that need more testing.

Why it is not certain yet

Few data linked the treatments, and most were compared only to a dummy drug. Very few people on the dummy drug improved, so the numbers were very shaky. The results leaned heavily on how the math handled zero counts. Trials used different cut-offs to judge the tissue. Most drug pairs were compared only in an indirect way. The authors say large trials comparing drugs head to head are needed.

Source

Comparative efficacy and safety of dupilumab and swallowed topical corticosteroid formulations in eosinophilic esophagitis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

We restate facts from the source record in our own words. The original wording belongs to its publisher.