Visible welts, sleepless nights and the constant urge to scratch. Living with chronic hives affects far more than your skin. As reported by HCPLive, new analysis of clinical trial data suggests Dupixent (dupilumab) may improve quality of life for people with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) who haven’t previously tried the biologic omalizumab (Xolair).
The findings, presented at the 2026 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress, pooled results from two phase 3 trials (LIBERTY-CSU CUPID A and C) of adults and adolescents. Over 24 weeks, people taking Dupixent reported greater improvements in a hives-specific quality-of-life questionnaire compared with those on placebo, including itch, the physical limits hives place on life and how self-conscious they feel about their skin. Notably, 74.3 percent of those taking Dupixent said swelling of their eyes and lips didn’t bother them at all, compared with 60 percent on placebo.
“CSU is a disease that can greatly impact a person’s quality of life because of things like feelings of embarrassment due to visible hives or not being able to sleep because of persistent itch,” said Thomas B. Casale, MD, a professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and lead author of the analysis.
This was a post hoc analysis, and some measures, including the overall swelling score and sleep, didn’t reach statistical significance, so the picture is still taking shape. The trials were sponsored by Sanofi and Regeneron, which make Dupixent.
Dupixent is already FDA-approved to treat CSU in people 12 and older. Still, the data are a reminder that clearer skin is only part of the goal. If hives are keeping you up at night or making you want to stay home, tell your dermatologist or allergist. How you feel day to day matters when choosing a treatment.
