HOW DUPIXENT WORKS

Transcript

SHARRON: I have lived with severe asthma most of my life. It developed early on when I was in middle school, and then as an adult, I had to use my rescue inhaler very frequently and the nebulizer as well.

RACHEL: I was diagnosed with severe asthma at the age of ten.

I had a lot of coughing, wheezing, feeling short of breath. My chest would get tight. We tried a lot of different asthma medications, but I would still end up in the hospital a couple of times a year. It had a really big impact on my life.

SHARRON: So, I love to sing, and singing was challenging to carry a note all the way through. I just couldn’t breathe. It was just hard to breathe.

RACHEL: The hardest thing to deal with was my wheezing. It was all the time. If we were sitting in a quiet classroom, the people next to me could hear me wheezing.

SHARRON: My asthma was not under control. Every day I woke up knowing that there’s a chance that I could have a severe asthma attack and go to the ER. It was definitely a weight on my mind with living like that, and I felt hopeless.

RACHEL: I had a really bad asthma attack when I was twenty-five years old that resulted in me being in the hospital for a week and after that, I was like, “Enough is enough!” I have to do something more to control my asthma.

SHARRON: So, my doctor treated my asthma with rescue inhalers, anti-inflammatories, oral steroids and long-acting inhalers. They weren’t managing the asthma well; it was not controlled.

One day on a follow-up appointment, my doctor brought up DUPIXENT as an add-on therapy. He talked about it being a biologic, what that was, and I was ready for it.

If there was a chance that it could help control my asthma, then I was ready for it and willing to do whatever I needed to do.

RACHEL: When my doctor suggested DUPIXENT, I was open to it. We had a candid conversation. I asked a lot of questions. She explained to me what was going on in my body and that DUPIXENT could work for patients like me, so I wanted to try it.

RACHEL: Before I started DUPIXENT, I told my doctor about all the medical conditions I had and medications I was taking.

SHARRON: My doctor and I talked about the potential benefits and risks of treatment, including the most common side effects such as injection site reactions, and some serious side effects including allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe, inflammation of your blood vessels, and joint aches and pain.

RACHEL: After starting DUPIXENT, I was able to do some of my simple, everyday activities without my asthma getting in the way as often, like running around the yard with my dogs, helping with the outdoor chores.

SHARRON: Over time I noticed that the wheezing decreased. I didn’t have to use my rescue inhaler as often, and I think the best of all was that I was able to sing and hold the note.

RACHEL: I never thought that I would be where I am in my asthma journey. It’s a very good feeling. I feel a lot of relief knowing that my asthma is better controlled.

SHARRON: It feels great to be able to manage my asthma better.

RACHEL: I’ve learned to be a good advocate for myself and that I do not have to accept uncontrolled asthma.

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