Dr. Pemmaraju the Need to Develop Novel Therapies in MPNs

Naveen Pemmaraju, MD, associate professor in the Department of Leukemia of the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the need to develop novel therapies in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

After nearly a decade of stagnation, the JAK inhibitors ruxolitinib (Jakafi) and fedratinib (Inrebic) have changed the treatment landscape of patients with MPNs, explains Pemmaraju. However, some patients are ineligible for, intolerant of, or resistant to JAK inhibitors.

Additionally, allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) remains the only potentially curative therapy although JAK inhibitors can improve quality of life, decrease spleen size, and potentially improve overall survival in some patients, Pemmaraju explains.

As such, it’s critical to develop novel drugs that can improve clinical efficacy, prolong survival, provide long-term cure, or spare the need for allo-SCT for patients with MPNs, says Pemmaraju.

Additionally, in the setting of clinical trials, combination therapies should be a future area of exploration based on their utility in acute and chronic leukemias, concludes Pemmaraju.