Dr. Ali on Ruxolitinib and Navitoclax Combination Therapy in Myelofibrosis

Haris Ali, MD, hematologist, oncologist, associate professor, the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, discusses the investigation of ruxolitinib (Jakafi) and navitoclax (ABT-263) combination therapy in myelofibrosis.

Patients on ruxolitinib, or any JAK inhibitor, may experience a suboptimal response and become unresponsive to the treatment, Ali says. This has led to the inception of trials like the REFINE study (NCT03222609) to investigate this unmet need in patients who have not had a full response to JAK inhibitors, Ali says.

The phase 2 REFINE study is evaluating the tolerability and efficacy of navitoclax alone or combined with ruxolitinib in patients with myelofibrosis. Investigators believe that the combination may lead to improved response because navitoclax inhibits BCL-2 and BCL-XL, which are anti-apoptotic proteins that are highly expressed in primary and secondary myelofibrosis.