Ruben Mesa, MD, UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, San Antonio, TX, comments on the findings of a safety analysis looking at the use of pacritinib in patients with myelofibrosis with severe thrombocytopenia. Cytopenic myelofibrosis is difficult to treat, partly due to the dose adjustments that are required. Pacritinib, unlike other JAK1 inhibitors, has demonstrated clinically significant activity at the recommended full dose in patients with cytopenias in Phase II and III studies. Patients treated at the full dose of 200mg twice daily in these studies were pooled and compared to those treated with best available therapy (BAT). It was shown that the safety profile of pacritinib was comparable to BAT, suggesting that pacritinib may be the first fully-dosed treatment option for patients with cytopenic myelofibrosis. This interview took place at the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition congress in Atlanta, GA.
