Sanofi's New Drug Dupixent Approved for Treating COPD, Expected to Benefit 300,000 Patients, but Negative Effects May Lead to Controversy Over $21.0 Billion in Revenue

Sanofi and Regeneron announced Friday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially approved Dupixent, a new drug designed to treat patients with chronic lung disease, commonly known as "smoker's lung." This approval marks the inclusion of Dupixent as an adjunctive treatment for certain adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a serious disease that progressively impairs lung function and leads to restricted airflow.

Sanofi's total sales of Dupixent last year reached 10.72 billion euros ($11.94 billion), and the drug has been successfully used in the United States and other countries to treat immune system related conditions such as asthma and eczema. For Dupixent's entry into the U.S. market for COPD treatment, Sanofi expects approximately 300,000 eligible COPD patients to benefit from the drug. The company further forecasts that with the launch of Dupixent in the COPD segment, it is expected to achieve significant sales growth in 2025.

According to data compiled by LSEG, the analyst community on average expects Sanofi's star drug Dupixent to generate more than 21 billion euros in revenue by 2030. Specifically, analyst Evan Seigerman of BMO Capital Markets estimated in a May forecast that Dupixent's peak annual sales in the COPD treatment segment could reach $2.9 billion by the same year. COPD, the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, is a chronic disease that affects smokers but can also be caused by factors such as air pollution and occupation-related hazards.