A recent study presented at the 2024 SOHO Annual Meeting brings encouraging news for patients with myelofibrosis, particularly those struggling with low blood cell counts. The drug pacritinib (Vonjo) demonstrated significant benefits in improving both thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and anemia (low red blood cell count) in real-world settings.
Key findings include improvements in blood counts, efficacy after other treatments, and survival benefits.
Improvements in Blood Counts
- Patients with low platelet counts saw a rapid increase after starting pacritinib, which was maintained over time
- All patients experienced an early rise in hemoglobin levels, with those starting at very low levels (<8.0 g/dL) seeing nearly a 1 g/dL increase within 30 days
Effective Even After Other Treatments
- Notably, patients who had previously been treated with ruxolitinib (another common myelofibrosis medication) still showed improvements in both platelet and hemoglobin levels when switched to pacritinib.
Survival Benefits
- The study reported favorable overall survival rates compared to historical data, with 69.4% of patients surviving at least 12 months after starting pacritinib.
- Survival rates were even higher (77.3%) for those using pacritinib as their first treatment.
What This Means for Patients
Pacritinib received FDA approval in February 2022 for adult myelofibrosis patients with very low platelet counts (<50 x 109/L). This study suggests it may benefit a wider range of patients, including those with less severe thrombocytopenia and those who have tried other treatments. While more research is needed, these results offer hope for improved quality of life and potentially longer survival for myelofibrosis patients, especially those struggling with cytopenias.
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Reference:
Marrone M, Geller R, Oladapo A, et al. Real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in
patients with myelofibrosis treated with pacritinib in the United States. Presented at:
2024 SOHO Annual Meeting; September 4-7, 2024; Houston, TX. Abstract MPN-497.
