Dr. Gerds on Luspatercept to Treat Anemia in Myelofibrosis

Aaron Gerds, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Hematology and Medical Oncology Department at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, discusses results of a phase II trial examining the safety and efficacy of luspatercept as a treatment for anemia in patients with myelofibrosis.

Results from the trial were presented at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting and showed that luspatercept is effective in treating anemia in patients with myeloma, despite the stringent criteria for the primary end point, says Gerds. Four groups of patients were examined in the trial, including those who were on and off ruxolitinib (Jakafi) and, within those 2 groups, some patients did not receive any transfusions while others are transfusion-dependent, says Gerds.

For patients not receiving transfusions, a 1.5-gram increase in their hemoglobin count over a baseline of 12 weeks was required to meet the primary end point of the trial. Even if a patient’s hemoglobin was at a 1.4 increase, they were considered a non-responder, explains Gerds.

Responses with the agent were observed in all cohorts of this study, but there was a higher response rate in patients who received ruxolitinib plus luspatercept. When a less stringent end point is used, such as an average hemoglobin increase of 1.5 grams over 12 weeks, or a 50% reduction in transfusion burden, the response rates were much higher for this more clinically applicable end point, concludes Gerds.