Dr. Verstovsek on the Efficacy of Pacritinib in Myelofibrosis

Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD, the United Energy Resources, Inc. Professor of Medicine; director of the Hanns A. Pielenz Clinical Research Center for Myeloproliferative Neoplasms; and chief of the Section for Myeloproliferative Neoplasms in the Department of Leukemia of the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the efficacy demonstrated with pacritinib in the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis.

Pacritinib is a JAK2 inhibitor; these agents are often associated with suppressing the growth of the spleen, as well as improving quality of life for patients, according to Verstovsek. Often, these benefits come at the expense of lowering the blood cell count, and causing patients to experience anemia and thrombocytopenia, Verstovsek says. However, that does not appear to be the case with pacritinib, Verstovsek notes.

The agent has shifted the assumption of what JAK inhibitors should be doing, and what the balance between the risks and benefits of this approach should look like. The efficacy observed, coupled with the decrease in myelosuppression, makes pacritinib a unique therapeutic option for patients with myelofibrosis, Verstovsek concludes.