MPNs

The combination of APR-246 and azacytidine was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes with susceptible TP53 mutations, Aprea Therapeutics, Inc, developer of APR-246, announced in a press release.

Ruben Mesa, MD, discusses the current state of the treatment landscape for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.

A new phase III trial has found that luspatercept reduced the severity of anemia in patients with transfusion-refractory, lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes with ring sideroblasts. Results from the MEDALIST trial, which included data from 65 sites in 11 countries, were published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Ruxolitinib plus low-dose pegylated interferon-a2 improved peripheral blood cell counts, bone marrow cellularity and fibrosis, and symptom burden with acceptable toxicity in patients with polycythemia vera or proliferative myelofibrosis, according to the 2-year, end-of-study results of the phase II COMBI study, which were recently published in Haematologica.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Ruben Mesa, MD, discussed the findings from the pooled analysis of fedratinib at full dose in patients with myelofibrosis who had baseline platelet counts below 100 X 10⁹/L. He also highlighted other agents and therapies that appear promising for the treatment of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Laura Michaelis, MD, discusses the next steps for research in the treatment of myelofibrosis following the addition of fedratinib to the armamentarium of JAK inhibitors.

Following the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting, Targeted Oncology spoke with experts from various specialties in hematology. The experts highlighted some of the top abstracts from the meeting that will impact the way multiple myeloma, leukemias, MPNs, and lymphomas are treated.

CPI-0610, a selective and potent oral bromodomain and extra-terminal domain inhibitor, induced spleen and symptom responses as early as 12 weeks in combination with the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib in patients with JAK inhibitor-naïve myelofibrosis, according to the preliminary findings from the phase II MANIFEST trial presented at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting.

Patients with primary or secondary myelofibrosis who developed resistance to ruxolitinib in the frontline setting, showed clinically meaningful spleen responses and improvements in symptoms with the addition of navitoclax to ruxolitinib, according to findings from a phase II study presented at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting.

The new phase III MOMENTUM clinical trial, which is evaluating the efficacy of momelotinib, a JAK1, JAK2 and ACVR1 inhibitor, versus active comparator danazol in patients with symptomatic and anemic myelofibrosis, was recently launched globally, according to a press release from Sierra Oncology.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, John O. Mascarenhas, MD, discussed the phase II findings that demonstrated promising activity with CPI-0610 in a patient population of unmet need.

A multi-antigen off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cell therapy has been included in the ASH annual meeting spotlight due to exciting preclinical evidence. An investigational new drug application was approved in September 2019 for the therapy, labeled as FT596, developed by Fate Therapeutics, and human trials are scheduled to start in the first quater of 2020.

Justin Taylor, MD, discusses the rationale for an ongoing phase II trial that is exploring the combination of vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, plus the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody obinutuzumab in previously untreated patients with classical hairy cell leukemia.

Ruben Mesa, MD, director of the Mays Cancer Center, UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center,&nbsp;gives advice on using the JAK inhibitors ruxolitinib and fedratinib in the community setting for patients with intermediate-risk myelofibrosis.<br /> &nbsp;

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Davis S. Snyder, MD, discussed the treatment approaches for patients with MF who are candidates for SCT, as well as prognostic scoring systems that can help determine a patient&rsquo;s likelihood of response to transplant.

During a <em>Targeted Oncology </em>live case-based peer perspectives discussion, Ruben A. Mesa, MD, discussed risk assessment and treatment options available based on these assessments for patients with primary myelofibrosis with a group of physicians. Mesa, director of the UT Health San Antonio Cancer Center, explained these treatment options based on a case scenario of a patient with PMF.

During a&nbsp;Targeted Oncology&nbsp;tweet chat, Naveen Pemmaraju, MD, and Aaron Gerds, MD, MS, led a discussion on a patient case with myelofibrosis. They reviewed the options from a Twitter poll and how they would approach treatment of this particular patient.

Andrew Kuykendall, MD, discusses the background to the JAK2 inhibitor fedratinib (Inrebic), which was&nbsp;approved by the FDA in August 2019 for the treatment of patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk primary or secondary myelofibrosis, including post&ndash;polycythemia vera or post&ndash;essential thrombocythemia MF.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Kristen M. Pettit, MD, discussed the data supporting the FDA&rsquo;s fast track designation of the novel agent IMG-7289 for the treatment of patients with MF.

In an interview with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology</em> during the 2019 SOHO Annual Meeting, Andrew Kuykendall, MD discussed similarities and differences between fedratinib and ruxolitinib and offered advice to community oncologists who are using JAK inhibition for treating patients with myelofibrosis.

The FDA has granted a fast track designation to imetelstat for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory myelofibrosis who have intermediate-2 or high-risk disease. This designation is inclusive of patients with primary MF or those who developed MF after thrombocythemia or polycythemia vera, according to a press release from Geron Corporation, the developer of the drug.<br /> &nbsp;

In an interview with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD, discussed the treatment of MPNs in the community setting and how the field can improve. He also encouraged community oncologist to incorporate quality-of-life measurements and prognostic scoring systems when treating these patients.<br /> &nbsp;

Ruben Mesa, MD, discusses his experience with fedratinib since its FDA approval for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis. The agent is compared across trials with ruxolitinib, which has been approved for several years in this space.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>,<em> </em>Prithviraj Bose, MD, reviewed his thoughts on identifying and treating progression in myelofibrosis, which he recently presented on during the 2019 SOHO Annual Meeting.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In an interview with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology&nbsp;</em>during the 2019 SOHO Annual Meeting, <mark style="background-color:inherit; color:inherit; font-size:14px">Laura C. Michaelis, MD,&nbsp;</mark>discussed the currently approved JAK inhibitors and the future landscape for myelofibrosis, as well as treatment considerations for graft-versus-host disease.

Prithviraj Bose, MD, discusses differences in the safety profiles of ruxolitinib and fedratinib in the treatment of myelofibrosis.

In an interview with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology&nbsp;</em>during the 2019 SOHO Annual Meeting, Ruben Mesa, MD, discussed the JAKARTA and JAKARTA-2 studies and the implications their data have on the field of myelofibrosis.