Incyte to discontinue late-stage trial for bone marrow cancer drug combination

[March 04, 2023] 

(Reuters) - Drugmaker Incyte Corp said on Friday it was stopping its late-stage trial of an experimental cancer drug after an interim analysis indicated the drug was unlikely to meet the main goal of the study, dragging its shares 2% lower in after-market trade.

The study was aimed at determining the safety and effectiveness of adding parsaclisib to the use of its drug Jakafi, which is approved for the treatment of some types of myelofibrosis - a form of bone marrow cancer.

The study was discontinued after a pre-planned interim analysis showed the drug was unlikely to meet the main goal of reducing spleen volume as measured by magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography compared to placebo when the treatment was added to Jakafi, the company said.

Discontinuation of the study was not due to safety, the company said.

Data from mid-stage study in December had demonstrated that addition of parsaclisib to Jakafi resulted in some reduction in spleen volume and improvement in symptom burden in patients with myelofibrosis.

(Reporting by Arshreet Singh; Editing by Maju Samuel)

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