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Patient Stories
Real Stories
Get to know our ambassadors, their stories, and how DUPIXENT helped.
Imagine having to put your plans on hold or live in fear of your next asthma attack—one that might even put you in the hospital. These ambassadors found that their moderate-to-severe asthma could not be well controlled with their current prescription asthma therapies. Then their doctor recommended DUPIXENT.
Meet THE PATIENTS.
Hear their stories.
Individual results may vary.
Tim’s Story
Tim's severe asthma has held him back from activities and made helping on the family farm a struggle
growing up. After he struggled to control his asthma with many types of treatments, and experienced side
effects with oral steroids, his asthma specialist recommended DUPIXENT.
Tim's Journey from Steroids to DUPIXENT
TIM:
My name is Tim and I’d like to thank Regeneron and Sanofi for sponsoring me.
I used to experience symptoms of uncontrolled asthma every day of my life.
While oral steroids helped control my severe asthma, dealing with the side effects of steroids could be frustrating.
They can make me feel anxious and restless, and that led to insomnia.
By the time my alarm clock went off in the morning, I rarely felt rested. I didn't feel like I had the ability to get up and be active.
Getting ready to leave the house could be stressful too. I was on daily maintenance steroids to control my asthma.
I had to make sure my bag was packed with my asthma controller inhalers in addition to my daily steroids that I needed to get through the day.
I felt rushed trying to get all my asthma medications and get myself out the door.
At work, I continued to be frustrated by the side effects of my prescription steroids.
With increases in my dose during a flare, I would have increased irritability and get worked up over small issues.
I tried to wean off my maintenance steroids due to the side effects, but my asthma symptoms always flared with coughing and wheezing.
Sometimes, even walking up the stairs to bed was difficult for me. I knew I needed to make a change in my treatment plan.
I asked my doctor if there was another option to help control my severe asthma.
That's when he told me about DUPIXENT, which isn't a steroid or inhaler.
It's an add-on treatment for people six years and older for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma.
He said that adding DUPIXENT to my daily inhalers might help give me better control over my asthma and help me decrease my dependence on my oral steroids.
This sounded like it could be a good fit for me.
Before I started DUPIXENT, I told my doctor about all the medical conditions I had and the medications I was taking.
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.
Since I started DUPIXENT, I've been able to decrease my reliance on oral steroids.
Every morning, my wife and I wake up early to walk around the neighborhood. These walks give us a little bit of time to get mentally ready for the day ahead.
Back at the house, I get ready to leave for work.
I still have to take my rescue and maintenance inhalers with me whenever I leave the house, but I've been able to decrease my oral steroid use, which has been good for me.
Being on DUPIXENT has helped me focus less on my severe asthma and more on getting to where I need to be.
At work, I don't have to worry about taking my oral steroids.
With less oral steroids, now that I'm on DUPIXENT, my asthma is better controlled during my work day.
The best part is, after work, I feel I'm able to do the activities I enjoy with less asthma.
I love being outdoors with my wife, and we go hiking every chance we get.
I'm able to enjoy my time doing more of what I love with the people I love.
TIM'S DUPIXENT ROUTINE
TIM: Hi, I’m Tim. I’ve had severe asthma since I was a kid.
I’ve been to hundreds of doctor’s appointments throughout my life.
To me, it’s just par for the course.
I do what I have to do to manage my asthma.
When my doctor told me about DUPIXENT, and said it was an injectable, I was ok with that.
TIM: Before I started DUPIXENT, I told my doctor about all the medical conditions I had and medications I was taking.
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.
So, here’s what I do: I give myself my DUPIXENT injection every other Saturday morning. I’ve got the schedule down by now, but I put a reminder in my phone as a backup.
I take my DUPIXENT out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature. I make sure I have everything I need to safely inject – you know, alcohol wipes, sharps container, that kind of thing.
Then, when the syringe is ready, I inject myself under the skin. Two Saturdays later, I do it all again.
My asthma specialist taught me how to self-inject, and to do it in a different location each time.
Everyone has their own way of keeping track of where to inject each time. I made a chart on a small dry erase board to help me remember.
And I know if I have any questions, I can always call my doctor, go to DUPIXENT.com, or call the team at DUPIXENT MyWay®.
I feel my self-injection every two weeks is something I can handle.
I’ve gotten into a good rhythm with it. I do it, then I’m done.
That’s just another part of my DUPIXENT Journey.
Thanks for watching!
VO:
Active Outdoors
Hi, I’m Tim. I’m an outdoors guy. I enjoy fishing, hiking, and golfing. I love being active. But I couldn’t always be as active as I wanted to be.
As a kid, I would have asthma attacks about every day.
It was hard to work on my family farm. I’d be hauling hay bales, but my chest would get so tight. It felt like a bear hug that wouldn’t quit.
I wanted to play sports with my friends. But my severe asthma held me back. I was scared I’d collapse on the field unable to breathe.
Even as an adult, I was constantly worried about my asthma.
I avoided camping and hiking out in nature because I didn’t want to be far from a hospital.
I never thought there would be a treatment that could help me get my asthma under control.
I had tried other medications, but they didn’t control my asthma.
Then, one day, my asthma specialist introduced me to DUPIXENT.
TIM: Before I started DUPIXENT, I told my doctor about all the medical conditions I had and medications I was taking.
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.
TIM: Now, I’m on DUPIXENT, and I’m able to DU MORE of the things I like to do.
I’m still careful to avoid my asthma triggers, but I am able to be more active.
I’m chasing rainbow trout in the mountains. I’m feeding cattle on the farm. I’ll even take a deep breath of that honeysuckle air.
What have I learned on my DUPIXENT journey?
That you don’t have to accept uncontrolled asthma. You can manage it.
It just takes a little help.
Thanks for watching!
VO:
Christan & Aston's Story
Christan watched Aston’s severe asthma rob him of doing normal kid things. He couldn't play sports as much as
other kids and his asthma impacted his time in school. Watch these caregiver-specific videos to learn how
Christan and her husband worked with Aston’s asthma specialist to discover DUPIXENT.
How We Discovered DUPIXENT
CHRISTAN: Hi, I'm Christan, and I'm partnering with Sanofi and Regeneron. My son Aston has severe asthma that we treat with DUPIXENT.
I want to tell you how our DUPIXENT journey began.
Aston was diagnosed with severe asthma when he was three years old. As he got older, his asthma attacks got worse and worse. He was admitted to the hospital for days at a time and required several visits to the ICU. Aston's asthma was affecting the quality of his life. He wasn't able to fully participate in sports or activities like he wanted to.
He missed so much time at school that it began to affect his academics. We had so many medications we needed to pack every day. Multiple pills, controller medications, and inhalers, which we had to bring with us wherever we went. After several years of this, my husband and I knew we needed to look for another treatment option. We went to Aston's allergist for help. That's when he told us about DUPIXENT.
He said DUPIXENT was a biologic drug that is an add-on treatment for people six years and older with specific types of moderate to severe asthma to help reduce asthma attacks and improve lung function for better breathing.
He told us it was an injection, a biologic medication, that was administered once every four weeks.
At first, we were a little scared. I had never heard of a biologic and was nervous about giving my son an injectable medication.
But my husband and I knew that if this could help treat Aston's asthma, it might be worth it in the long run.
Before Aston started DUPIXENT, I told his doctor about all the medical conditions he had and medications he was taking. We talked about the potential benefits and risks of adding DUPIXENT to Aston's current 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.
We are happy with the decision we have made for Aston. It's worth Aston taking an injection to help him breathe better and do more of the things he loves.
Now you know how my family's DUPIXENT journey started. Thanks for watching.
VO:
How DUPIXENT Helps Aston
CHRISTAN: Hi, I'm Christan, and I'm partnering with Sanofi and Regeneron. My son Aston has severe asthma that we treat with DUPIXENT.
I want to share with you how DUPIXENT has allowed my son to have less asthma attacks and breathe better, which has allowed him to be more active playing sports with his friends.
Before starting DUPIXENT, Aston had struggled keeping up with kids his age. He couldn't play as long as his friends could. Due to his asthma attacks, he had to miss many days of school. It was tough for him to keep up.
Whenever we went anywhere, we were fearful an asthma attack was more likely to happen at any time, because Aston’s asthma was uncontrolled. An asthma attack could escalate quite quickly. It could be very scary. There were times when he would go over to a friend’s house to spend the night and I’d have to come get him in the middle of the night, because he wasn’t breathing well.
My husband and I saw that Aston’s asthma was getting in the way of him being able to just be a kid.
That’s when we met with his allergist with the goal of managing his symptoms, and his allergist suggested DUPIXENT.
Aston’s allergist explained that DUPIXENT is an add-on treatment for people six years and older with specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. He also let us know that DUPIXENT is not used to treat sudden breathing problems.
Before Aston started DUPIXENT, I told his doctor about all the medical conditions he had and medications he was taking.
We talked about the potential benefits and risks of adding DUPIXENT to Aston’s current 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.
Since starting DUPIXENT, we’ve seen a positive change. Aston’s asthma has improved. With his symptoms better controlled, he has more opportunities to go places and do things with less worry about the possibility of an asthma attack.
We haven’t had any trips to the hospital since starting DUPIXENT. He’s breathing better, which has allowed him to continue to participate in things like PE and recess.
Aston even goes over to spend the night at his friend’s house, and I haven’t had to come pick him up until the next morning.
This is how far we’ve been able to come on our DUPIXENT journey. It’s worth Aston taking an injection to help him breathe better and do more of the things he loves.
VO:
Aston's DUPIXENT Routine
CHRISTAN: Hi, I'm Christan, and I'm partnering with Sanofi and Regeneron. My son Aston has severe asthma that we treat with DUPIXENT.
Giving a once-monthly injection to a kid can be tricky sometimes. So, I want to share with you how we made DUPIXENT part of our routine.
After Aston received his first dose, we were given a choice to come to the office for Aston's injection every four weeks or administer DUPIXENT at home. For Aston, it made so much more sense to give him his injection at home.
We wanted to try our best to build into his routine without interruption by having to go into the doctor's office.
I was nervous about giving Aston his injection at home, but the nurses at the office explained the process and recommended watching the supplemental injection videos on the DUPIXENT website.
I also reviewed additional resources on the DUPIXENT website, such as MyWay Patient Support Services, and the Instructions for Use.
The available resources from DUPIXENT MyWay and nurses at the doctor's office have been very helpful in making me feel comfortable administering DUPIXENT at home.
We have a big calendar in our kitchen where I keep track of everything. I write “DUPIXENT day” on the calendar every four weeks to mark Aston's injection day.
Seeing it on the calendar makes it less of a surprise for Aston and helps prepare him mentally.
On injection day, I take Aston's DUPIXENT dose out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before and tell him it's almost time for his shot.
Once the DUPIXENT reaches room temperature, I ask him if he's ready.
Sometimes, he may not be yet, but after a while he'll come up and tell me, “Okay, let's do it.”
We wash our hands and sit down. The injection goes best when Aston is focused on something else.
Now, we've gotten into a rhythm with Aston. When I give him the shot, he might react a little, but as soon as the needle is out, I put a bandage over the injection site and give him a big hug.
He knows the reasons why he takes his medication and that helps him stay positive about injection days.
He doesn't want to go back to the hospital for his asthma attacks, so he's willing to take the injection. Of course, just like any kid, special treats on injection day certainly help too.
Before Aston started DUPIXENT, I told his doctor about all the medical conditions he had and medications he was taking.
We talked about the potential benefits and risks of adding DUPIXENT to Aston's current 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.
Making a routine around giving an injection to a kid every four weeks can be challenging. But I hope these tips can help other families on their DUPIXENT journey, just as they have helped mine.
Thanks for watching.
VO:
Rachel’s Story
From an early age, Rachel has lived with asthma and tried many different treatment
methods with little success. Hear how one specific trip to the hospital led to her
and her pulmonologist agreeing to give DUPIXENT a chance.
Meet the Ambassador
Rachel: My name is Rachel, and I’m treating my severe asthma with DUPIXENT.
My pediatrician diagnosed me with severe asthma at age four. I had a lot of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness.
Tried a lot of different medications and inhalers. I was on steroids a lot.
It was really challenging. I couldn’t find a balance. My asthma stayed uncontrolled.
One night I went to go to bed, I woke up, and I couldn’t breathe. I was admitted for seven days, and at that time, I would say, “This is not a way to live.”
My pulmonologist told me about DUPIXENT. She explained what was going on with my asthma at the time and put it together in how it would work in my body, and that explanation meant a lot to me, and it made me want to give it a try.
My doctor went over the risks and benefits of DUPIXENT, and I decided to move forward with treatment.
Since being on DUPIXENT, I can do more. I feel a lot better. I can breathe easier.
I still know my triggers. I still know what bothers me, but I’ve updated that information with myself. Okay, this bothers me only a little bit now, and you have to be aware and acknowledge that.
VO:
MOMENT I KNEW
RACHEL: The moment that I realized that I really needed to find a change. It was about five years ago. I was 26 years old. I had cold symptoms, and I went to lay down to go to bed, and I immediately felt like I was drowning. I could feel rattles through my chest. It felt like something was sitting on my chest. It was very tight. So, I called my mom, and my mom came. She got me and took me to the hospital.
I was dizzy, feeling lightheaded. I was cold, really struggling to breathe in general, and they put me in a wheelchair, got my oxygen level. It was very low.
And they said to me, “Rachel, why didn’t you come in sooner? Why didn’t you come in earlier?”
I just broke down, and I said, “I just had a cold. That was it. I just had a cold. I didn’t need to come in earlier.”
And, at that moment, I felt relief that I even made it to the hospital at that time.
So, I was, like, I’m going to figure something out. I have to change this.
That’s the moment I knew that I needed to find a different treatment regimen.
I heard about DUPIXENT from my pulmonologist.
She sat down, explained it to me and said, “This is how it works, this is how your body is working, and I think we should give it a try.” So, I went home, I did my own research, went and talked to my husband and decided we’re going to give it a try.
My doctor went over the risks and benefits of DUPIXENT.
And that’s when I decided to give DUPIXENT a try.
VO:
Marlena’s story
Marlena struggled with her asthma for more than 30 years before her doctor recommended DUPIXENT.
After trying numerous treatments throughout the years, hear how DUPIXENT worked for her.
Meet the Ambassador
MARLENA: My name is Marlena, and I’m treating my moderate-to-severe asthma with DUPIXENT.
I was first diagnosed with asthma. I was 23 years old. I had no previous symptoms, no family history, and I just started wheezing and coughing, and it just progressed from there until I had to end up going to the hospital.
Most of the doctors were telling me the same thing, “It’s just asthma. We treat it with steroids. We treat it with inhalers. Watch out for your triggers. Avoid this, don’t do that.” Really wasn’t much information.
I first heard about DUPIXENT when a primary care doctor sent me to a specialist. She said, “I have one more medication. Please try it. It’s called DUPIXENT.”
My doctor went over the risks and benefits of DUPIXENT, and I decided to go forward with the treatment.
Since I’ve started using the DUPIXENT, I’m able to do more things that I love, like playing with my grandchildren.
VO:
MY JOURNEY WITH DUPIXENT
MARLENA: Dear DUPIXENT –
All I can say is thank you!
I had been struggling with asthma for over 30 years, and I had tried so many other treatments.
So, when my doctor first introduced me to DUPIXENT, I was very hesitant.
Over time, with DUPIXENT, I started to notice a change. My breathing started to improve, and I was using my rescue inhaler less and less.
Today, I do not think about when my next attack will be, and that has allowed me to DU More of the things I love, like playing with my grandchildren.
DUPIXENT has helped me better manage my asthma, and I am very thankful!
Sincerely,
Marlena
VO:
Pamela’s Story
For Pam, being diagnosed with asthma in her 40s resulted in significant life changes. See
how DUPIXENT helped her to go from thinking about her condition and her next
attack to getting back to doing the things she loves.
Meet the Ambassador
PAMELA: My name is Pamela, and I have been living with severe asthma for ten years.
My symptoms and the coughing would bring on an asthma attack.
My doctor had me try oral steroids, inhalers, some nose sprays, and nothing seemed to be working.
I first heard about DUPIXENT from my doctor because I had gone to the emergency room twice in one week. He thought I would be a good candidate for it.
We talked over the risks and benefits of it, and I decided to give it a try.
DUPIXENT has worked for me. It helps me breathe.
I would say what I wish I would’ve known is how good I was going to feel afterwards.
VO:
MOMENT I KNEW
PAM:
Hi, I’m Pam. As a kindergarten teacher, having severe asthma can be challenging.
I used to worry all the time about having an attack in front of my students.
Then one day, it happened.
My inhaler and my nebulizer were not helping.
I tried to stay calm, but that’s hard when you’re gasping for breath.
I ended up in the ER. That was a scary day, for me and my students.
I knew right then that I had to do something else to help better manage my asthma.
Not long after that, my asthma specialist and I started looking at additional treatment options.
And that’s how my DUPIXENT Journey began.
Before I started DUPIXENT, I told my doctor about all the medical conditions I had and medications I was taking.
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.
PAM:
With DUPIXENT, I treat my asthma proactively.
I don’t worry as much about having to leave class and head to the ER because of an attack.
And best of all, I’m able to DU More in the classroom, like playing Duck, Duck, Goose!
So, if your asthma symptoms are not controlled with your current treatment, talk to your doctor about whether DUPIXENT may be right for you.
That’s a peek into my DUPIXENT Journey.
Thanks for watching!
VO:
SHARE YOUR STORY
Your experience with DUPIXENT is unique, and sharing your journey can inspire and empower people facing similar challenges. Self-nominate now for a chance to become a DUPIXENT MyWay® Ambassador, and if selected, you may have opportunities to share your story and offer encouragement to patients and their family members.