Dr. Yacoub on Efficacy and Safety Results With Parsaclisib in Myelofibrosis

Abdulraheem Yacoub, MD, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, discusses efficacy and safety results with parsaclisib in myelofibrosis.

During the 2021 AACR Annual Meeting, findings from a phase 2 study (NCT02718300) demonstrated an improvement in spleen volume reduction (SVR) and symptom burden with the combination of ruxolitinib (Jakafi) and the PI3K inhibitor parsaclisib in patients with myelofibrosis who have previously experienced a suboptimal response to a standard dose of single-agent ruxolitinib.

The combination resulted in rapid and durable improvements in quality of life for patients, says Yacoub. Moreover, patients who received continuous daily dosing with parsaclisib had higher SVR compared with patients who switched from daily to weekly dosing with the agent, Yacoub says. Patients on the daily dosing regimen had continued SVR reduction at 24 weeks, Yacoub adds.

Regarding safety, the combination of ruxolitinib and parsaclisib elicited minimal non-hematologic adverse effects (AE) and no significant decrement in hemoglobin levels, Yacoub says. Thrombocytopenia was the most commonly observed dose-limiting AE, but cases of thrombocytopenia were reversible, concludes Yacoub.