Dr. Mesa on Unanswered Questions Regarding JAK Inhibitors in Myelofibrosis

Ruben Mesa, MD, the director of the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses unanswered questions regarding JAK inhibitors in myelofibrosis.

There are currently 2 JAK inhibitors, ruxolitinib (Jakafi) and fedratinib (Inrebic), that are approved for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis.

While both of these agents have clinical utility in this patient population, it is not yet understood how to transition patients from a JAK inhibitor to an alternate therapy, explains Mesa. Abruptly stopping treatment with these agents is not recommended as it may cause symptom recurrence.

Additionally, there are no robust data informing how to transition patients from ruxolitinib to fedratinib if the patient experiences a suboptimal response to ruxolitinib, explains Mesa. In the absence of prospective data, switching from 1 drug to the other may be safe as long as there isn’t a delay in treatment, concludes Mesa.