Dupilumab, Ensifentrine Added to 2025 GOLD Guidelines for COPD: Expert Parses Recommendations

Dupilumab and ensifentrine were approved by the FDA this year and added to the GOLD COPD management recommendations in the section on follow-up therapy, the former as add-on therapy to reduce exacerbations in individuals with uncontrolled disease who have evidence of type 2 inflammation and the latter as add-on nebulized therapy to existing inhalers to reduce dyspnea.

In a recent interview with Patient Care,® MeiLan K Han, MD, MS, professor of internal medicine and chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Michigan Health, in Ann Arbor, MI, first highlighted the essential distinction in the GOLD report between the algorithm for initial therapy and that for follow-up therapy. Han, a member of the GOLD scientific committee tasked with the recent update, then discussed the rationale for inclusion of the 2 new medications, emphasizing how the additions reflect a focus on disease heterogeneity in COPD and targeting therapy to specific patient types.

MeiLan K Han, MD, MS, is professor of internal medicine and chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Michigan Health, in Ann Arbor, MI. Han's research focus is on defining phenotypes in COPD using imaging. She is a lead investigator for several NIH sponsored COPD studies and serves as a spokesperson for the American Lung Association and board member of the COPD Foundation. She is currently a deputy editor for the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and serves as a member of the GOLD scientific committee, responsible for developing the internationally recognized consensus statement on COPD diagnosis and management.