Mesa Discusses FDA Approvals for Myelofibrosis in 2021
At ASH 2021, CancerNetwork® spoke with Ruben Mesa, MD, of UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, about FDA approvals for myelofibrosis that may impact the standard of care.
An important FDA action is the approval of a therapy for polycythemia vera [PV] that will then end up impacting myelofibrosis. The approval was of ropeginterferon α-2b [Besremi]. That therapy is now approved broadly for PV. We know interferons are active across myeloproliferative neoplasms. They’re likely active in earlier myelofibrosis and they may help to curb the natural history of the disease and may have benefit along with JAK2 inhibition. I suspect that is going to evolve to also have an important benefit for patients with myelofibrosis.
I anticipate one, if not more, action soon into the new year related to myelofibrosis and I’m hopeful that we may see an approval with pacritinib [SB1518] that would be the most immediately impactful soon thereafter. The potential actions in 2022 or 2023 with momelotinib [GS-0387] and potentially with pelabresib in combination [regimen leave us with] much more to come.
