Patients with myelofibrosis had clinically significant improvement in disease-related symptoms, including anemia and spleen enlargement, when treated with the targeted therapy momelotinib, according to results from the international Phase III MOMENTUM trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The findings, published in The Lancet, support the use of momelotinib – a potent ACVR1/ALK2 and JAK1/2 inhibitor – over the standard therapy danazol in treating myelofibrosis patients that were resistant, refractory or intolerant to firstline therapy, especially symptomatic patients and those with anemia.
The study enrolled 195 adult patients from 107 research sites across 21 countries. Trial participants were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive momelotinib plus placebo or danazol plus placebo. Sixty-three percent of participants were male and 37% were female. The median age of participants for the momelotinib group was 71 years and for the danazol group 72 years.
The trial’s primary endpoint was symptom reduction after 24 weeks of treatment, defined as a 50% or more reduction in Myelofibrosis Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score. A significantly greater proportion of patients who received momelotinib saw benefits in their disease symptoms (25%) compared to those receiving danazol (9%).
Patients treated with momelotinib also experienced a significant reduction in their spleen size, with 25% responding after 24 weeks of therapy. Additionally, these patients required fewer blood transfusions compared to those receiving danazol.
The safety profile of momelotinib was comparable to previous clinical trials. The most common non-hematological side effects experienced by trial participants in the momelotinib group included diarrhea, nausea, weakness and itching or irritated skin.
