Dr. Verstovsek on the Potential Role of Rusfertide in Polycythemia Vera

Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD, United Energy Resources, Inc., professor of medicine, hematologist-oncologist, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the potential for rusfertide (PTG-300) in polycythemia vera.

Patients with polycythemia vera typically become iron deficient, according to Verstovsek. However, cancer cells feed on iron and grow, making supplemental iron counterproductive in these patients, Verstovsek explains. Rusfertide is a hepcidin mimetic that helps control where iron is located in the body, keeping it inside the liver, the gut, or the spleen, otherwise known as the reticuloendothelial system, Verstovsek adds.

When iron is controlled and stored, less will be available to produce red blood cells, leading to lower hematocrit levels in patients with polycythemia vera; this potentially reduces the need for routine phlebotomies, Verstovsek says. Treatment with rusfertide has been shown to help maintain normal levels of iron in the body for patients with polycythemia vera, Verstovsek explains. The potential for the agent to lower iron-related symptoms makes it a promising option for patients with polycythemia vera, Verstovsek says.

The phase 3 VERIFY trial (NCT05210790) will investigate rusfertide vs placebo in patients with polycythemia vera who require routine phlebotomies to evaluate the agent’s ability to control hematocrit and improve the symptoms of the disease. Patients with a hematocrit level above 45% are at increased risk for thrombosis and are currently treated with phlebotomy.