The Impact of Pacritinib on Myelofibrosis Symptoms in Patients with Moderate and Severe Thrombocytopenia: A Retrospective Analysis of Patients in the Persist-2 Study
Authors: Palmer Jeanne M. , Mesa Ruben A. , Oh Stephen T. , Rampal Raajit , Buckley Sarah A , Roman-Torres Karisse , Verstovsek Srdan , Mascarenhas John , Vannucchi Alessandro M. , Kiladjian Jean-Jacques , Harrison Claire N. , Bose Prithviraj , Craig Adam R , Gerds Aaron T. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Introduction: Thrombocytopenia, a hallmark of cytopenic myelofibrosis (MF), is associated with poor survival and quality of life impairment. Patients with MF and moderate or severe thrombocytopenia (platelet counts &lt;100x10 9/L, &lt;50x10 9/L) tend to have high symptom burden as measured by the Total Symptom Score (TSS), driven largely by physical functioning symptoms (Mesa R et al, ASH 2021 abstract in submission). Pacritinib, an investigational JAK2/IRAK1 inhibitor, was studied in patients with platelet counts ≤100x10 9/L in the PERSIST-2 trial. Unlike the pivotal studies upon which available JAK1/2 inhibitors were approved that relied on a modified TSS version that excluded 'tiredness' from the response analysis, PERSIST-2 included 'tiredness' as part of TSS and found response rates of 25% for pacritinib vs. 14% for best available therapy (BAT), P=0.08. Here, we retrospectively analyzed TSS on PERSIST-2 using the modified scoring system. In addition, we evaluated the impact of pacritinib and BAT, including ruxolitinib, on MF symptoms including 'tiredness' and 'inactivity'.
Methods: All PERSIST-2 patients in the intention-to-treat population randomized at least 22 weeks prior to the end of the study were included. PERSIST-2 randomized patients 1:1:1 to pacritinib 200mg BID, pacritinib 400mg daily, or BAT (including ruxolitinib). The modified TSS score was calculated as the sum of individual symptom scores for early satiety, abdominal discomfort, rib pain, night sweats, itching, and bone pain ('tiredness' and 'inactivity' were not included), and response was defined as a ≥50% reduction in score from baseline to week 24. Symptoms were categorized as physical function-related (tiredness, inactivity), spleen-related (satiety, abdominal discomfort, rib pain), or cytokine-related (sweats, itching, bone pain). The Wilcoxon Rank Sum test was used to compare differences in scores.
Results: The analysis included 74 patients randomized to pacritinib 200mg BID and 72 to BAT; an additional 75 were randomized to pacritinib 400mg QD (dose no longer in development). At baseline, 39% had moderate and 46% had severe thrombocytopenia. Ruxolitinib was selected as BAT in 45% of patients with moderate and 38% with severe thrombocytopenia. The co-primary endpoint for the study - TSS response rate in pooled pacritinib arms versus BAT - showed a significant difference using the modified TSS: 30% vs. 14%, P=0.008. Similarly, the modified TSS response rate was higher for patients treated with pacritinib 200mg BID compared to BAT (35% vs. 14%, P=0.004, Figure 1a). Among patients on the BAT arm, modified TSS response rates were modestly higher for patients who received ruxolitinib prior to week 24 (19% [n=6/32]) compared to those who did not (10% [n=4/40]), though both were lower than response rates with pacritinib. Patients on the pacritinib 200mg BID arm experienced greater percentage reductions in individual myelofibrosis symptoms between baseline and week 24 compared to BAT, both in patients with moderate and severe thrombocytopenia (Figure 1b, 1c). For physical function symptoms, severity was reduced more on pacritinib 200mg BID compared to BAT by week 24 (median reduction in tiredness: 30% vs. 13%, P=0.0261; inactivity: 22% vs. 7%, P=0.099). Among patients with severe thrombocytopenia, symptom improvement was minimal on BAT (Figure 1b).
Conclusion: The symptom benefit of pacritinib in patients with moderate and severe thrombocytopenia is demonstrated in the PERSIST-2 study. A significant reduction in symptoms was observed in patients treated with pacritinib 200mg BID, the dose being studied in an ongoing Phase 3 trial (PACIFICA), compared to BAT. Furthermore, the modified TSS response rate of 35% in patients treated with pacritinib 200mg BID is comparable to that reported for approved JAK1/2 inhibitors in patients with higher platelet counts, suggesting the potential for pacritinib to address the unmet need of patients with cytopenic myelofibrosis.
Figure 1 Figure 1.

Disclosures
Palmer: CTI BioPharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Protagonist: Consultancy, Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; PharmaEssentia: Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Research Funding. Mesa: Incyte Corporation: Consultancy, Research Funding; Samus: Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Research Funding; CTI: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Celgene: Research Funding; Pharma: Consultancy; La Jolla Pharma: Consultancy; Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; CTI: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; AOP: Consultancy. Oh: Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Blueprint Medicines: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Constellation: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; CTI Biopharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Disc Medicine: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Geron: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kartos Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; PharamaEssentia: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sierra Oncology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Rampal: Sierra Oncology: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy; Stemline: Consultancy, Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Constellation: Research Funding; Kartos: Consultancy; Disc Medicine: Consultancy; Blueprint: Consultancy; Pharmaessentia: Consultancy; Incyte: Consultancy, Research Funding; Memorial Sloan Kettering: Current Employment; Abbvie: Consultancy; CTI: Consultancy. Buckley: CTI Biopharm: Current Employment. Roman-Torres: CTI Biopharm: Current Employment. Verstovsek: Protagonist Therapeutics: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; NS Pharma: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Blueprint Medicines Corp: Research Funding; CTI BioPharma: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; Ital Pharma: Research Funding; PharmaEssentia: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Research Funding; Constellation: Consultancy; Pragmatist: Consultancy. Mascarenhas: Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merck: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merus: Research Funding; Geron: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; PharmaEssentia: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Forbius: Research Funding; Genentech/Roche: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Geron: Consultancy, Research Funding; Constellation: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Promedior: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kartos: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Prelude: Consultancy; Galecto: Consultancy; CTI Biopharm: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Vannucchi: AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte Corporation: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kiladjian: CTI BioPharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AP Orphan: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene/BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; PharmaEssentia: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Harrison: Galacteo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Promedior: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Speakers Bureau; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Keros: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Shire: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sierra Oncology: Honoraria; Gilead Sciences: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Geron: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; CTI BioPharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Bose: Novartis: Honoraria; NS Pharma: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Blueprint Medicines: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kartos Therapeutics: Honoraria, Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Honoraria, Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; CTI BioPharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Honoraria; Astellas: Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene Corporation: Honoraria, Research Funding. Craig: CTI BioPharma: Current Employment. Gerds: PharmaEssentia Corporation: Consultancy; CTI BioPharma: Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Constellation: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy.