Dr. Kiladjian on the Potential Utility of Momelotinib in Myelofibrosis

Jean-Jacques Kiladjian, MD, PhD, professor of clinical pharmacology, Paris Diderot University, consultant hematologist, head, Clinical Investigation Center, Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris, France, discusses, the potential utility of momelotinib in myelofibrosis.

During the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting and the EHA 2021 Virtual Congress, findings from an analysis of the phase 3 SIMPLIFY 1 trial (NCT01969838) were presented, showing that patients who achieved transfusion independence after 24 weeks of momelotinib treatment derived clinical benefit irrespective of the degree of anemia, platelet count, or transfusion status at baseline.

As such, the data suggest that patients with myelofibrosis could benefit from JAK inhibitor optimization based on specific disease characteristics, Kiladjian says. For example, patients with severe thrombocytopenia may be better suited for momelotinib because they may not benefit from a maximized dose of ruxolitinib (Jakafi), Kiladjian explains. Conversely, patients with high platelet counts could be treated with ruxolitinib in the frontline setting because momelotinib was found to be noninferior to ruxolitinib regardless of baseline platelet counts, Kiladjian concludes.