Ruxolitinib for steroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease: Japanese subgroup analysis of REACH3 study.

Ruxolitinib, a Janus kinase (JAK1-JAK2) inhibitor, has demonstrated safety and efficacy in patients with graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). This phase 3 randomized trial (REACH3) evaluated the efficacy and the safety of ruxolitinib 10 mg twice daily compared with investigator-selected best available therapy (BAT) in a subgroup of Japanese patients (n = 37) with steroid-refractory or dependent (SR/D) chronic GvHD. At data cut-off, treatment was ongoing in 17 patients and discontinued in 20. The overall response rate (complete or partial) at week 24 was greater with ruxolitinib than BAT (50% vs. 20%; odds ratio, 4.13 [95% CI, 0.90-18.9]). The best overall response rate (complete or partial response at any time point up to week 24) was higher with ruxolitinib than BAT (68.2% vs. 46.7%; odds ratio, 2.69 [95% CI, 0.66-10.9]). Ruxolitinib led to longer median failure-free survival than BAT (18.6 months vs. 3.7 months; hazard ratio, 0.34; [95% CI, 0.14-0.85]). The most common grade ≥ 3 adverse events up to week 24 were anemia (ruxolitinib: 22.7%; BAT: 6.7%) and pneumonia (22.7% and 20.0%, respectively). Ruxolitinib showed a higher response rate and improvement in failure-free survival in Japanese patients with SR/D chronic GvHD, with a safety profile consistent with the overall study population.

Ruxolitinib in steroid-refractory acute graft-vs-host disease: Japanese subgroup analysis of the randomized REACH2 trial.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) is a major complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Japan and other countries. Nearly one-third of patients do not respond to standard systemic steroid therapy and no standard second-line treatment has been established in Japan. We report efficacy and safety findings of ruxolitinib versus best available therapy (BAT) from a subgroup analysis of the international, phase 3 REACH2 study in Japanese patients with steroid-refractory aGvHD. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) at day 28. Overall, 9 patients received ruxolitinib and 21 received BAT. The ORR at day 28 (88.9% vs 52.4%) and durable ORR at day 56 (66.7% vs 28.6%) were higher with ruxolitinib versus BAT. The estimated cumulative incidence of loss of response at 6 months was 12.5% with ruxolitinib and 18.2% with BAT. The median failure-free survival was longer with ruxolitinib versus BAT (2.73 vs 1.25 months). The most common adverse events up to day 28 in the ruxolitinib and BAT groups were anemia (55.6% vs 19.0%) and thrombocytopenia (44.4% vs 4.8%, respectively). Ruxolitinib showed better efficacy outcomes and a consistent safety profile compared with BAT in the Japanese subgroup, and the findings were consistent with overall study results.

Phase II, Multicenter, Single-Arm, Open-Label Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Panobinostat in Combination with Bortezomib and Dexamethasone in Japanese Patients with Relapsed or Relapsed-and-Refractory Multiple Myeloma.

INTRODUCTION: Panobinostat, bortezomib, and dexamethasone combination therapy demonstrated progression-free survival (PFS) benefit over bortezomib and dexamethasone alone in the PANORAMA-1 study in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM). Here, we present data from a phase II study (NCT02290431) of this combination in Japanese patients with relapsed or relapsed-and-refractory MM. METHODS: Patients received 3-week cycles of 20-mg oral panobinostat (weeks 1 and 2), 1.3-mg/m2 subcutaneous bortezomib (days 1, 4, 8, and 11), and 20-mg oral dexamethasone (day of and the day following bortezomib administration) for a total of 8 cycles (24 weeks; treatment phase 1). Patients with treatment benefit had an option to enter the extension phase to receive 6-week (42-day) cycles of panobinostat (weeks 1, 2, 4, and 5) plus bortezomib (days 1, 8, 22, and 29) and dexamethasone (day of and the day following bortezomib treatment) for 24 weeks. The primary objective was complete response (CR) + near CR (nCR) rate after treatment phase 1 as per the modified European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation criteria. RESULTS: Of the 31 patients, 4 (12.9%) completed the treatment and 27 (87.1%) discontinued; 17 (54.8%) entered the extension phase. In total, 24 patients (77.4%) entered the survival follow-up phase and followed until study closure when the last patient was treated for 1 year after treatment phase 1. The CR + nCR rate was 48.4% (90% CI: 33.6-63.2). The overall response rate (CR + nCR + partial response) was 80.6%. The median PFS, duration of response, time to response, and time to progression were 15.3, 22.7, 1.4, and 15.3 months, respectively. All patients experienced adverse events (AEs), with diarrhea (80.6%), decreased appetite (58.1%), and thrombocytopenia (54.8%) being the most frequent, regardless of relationship to the study treatment. Thrombocytopenia (48.4%), fatigue (25.8%), diarrhea (22.6%), neutrophil count decrease (22.6%), platelet count decrease (22.6%), and lymphocyte count decrease (22.6%) were the most frequent grade 3/4 AEs. CONCLUSION: The study met the primary objective with 48.4% CR + nCR rate. The AEs associated with the combination treatment were safely managed using the existing AE management guidelines, including dose interruption/modification and/or supportive medical intervention. This treatment regimen is an effective option with a favorable benefit/risk profile for Japanese patients with relapsed/refractory MM.

Phase I study of panobinostat and 5-azacitidine in Japanese patients with myelodysplastic syndrome or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

The current therapy for high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) involves repeated cycles of the DNA demethylating agent 5-azacitidine (5-Aza), but combination treatments have been proposed to improve patient outcomes. We performed a phase Ib study to investigate the safety and tolerability of 5-Aza (75 mg/m2) combined with the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat (PAN) in adult Japanese patients with MDS or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). Eleven patients were enrolled; five received 20 mg PAN + 5-Aza and six received 30 mg PAN + 5-Aza. All patients in the 20 mg PAN cohort had MDS, while two in the 30 mg PAN cohort had MDS and three had CMML. All patients experienced ≥1 adverse event (AE) related to the study treatment, and five discontinued the study treatment because of AEs. One patient in each group exhibited dose-limiting toxicities: lung infection (PAN 20 mg + 5-Aza) and cellulitis (PAN 30 mg + 5-Aza). PAN exposure increased with ascending doses, and combination therapy did not affect PAN plasma trough concentrations. In summary, 20 or 30 mg PAN combined with 5-Aza was safe and tolerable in adult Japanese patients with CMML or MDS. Study registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01613976.