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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
A phase 3 trial finds that swapping mycophenolate mofetil for low-dose ruxolitinib dramatically cuts the risk of acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) in patients undergoing haploidentical stem cell transplantation. The ruxolitinib group saw a grade II-IV acute GVHD rate of just 6.8% vs. 36.9% in the standard group. Non-relapse mortality and chronic GVHD rates also improved significantly.
A multicenter phase 3 trial published in The Lancet Haematology found that replacing mycophenolate mofetil with low-dose ruxolitinib — a JAK1/2 inhibitor — in a standard GVHD prophylaxis regimen dramatically reduced the incidence of acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) in patients undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The trial enrolled 206 patients with hematological malignancies and followed them for a median of 26.4 months.
The results were striking: patients in the ruxolitinib group had far lower rates of severe GVHD, non-relapse mortality, and chronic GVHD — without a meaningful increase in infectious complications or treatment-related deaths.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: GVHD is one of the deadliest complications of stem cell transplantation. These findings suggest that early JAK1/2 inhibition could become a meaningful strategy for GVHD prevention in haploidentical HSCT, though validation in broader populations and other transplant platforms is still needed.
