Dr. Verstovsek on the Results of the PV-AIM trial in Polycythemia Vera

Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD, the United Energy Resources, Inc. Professor of Medicine​, director of the Hanns A. Pielenz Clinical Research Center for Myeloproliferative Neoplasms​, and chief of the Section for Myeloproliferative Neoplasms in the Department of Leukemia of the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses findings from the PV-AIM trial in polycythemia vera (PV)​.

The ​US OPTUM database includes electronic medical records that indicate about 83,000 cases of PV in the United States over a median of 8.4 years​, explains Verstovsek. Of these patients, 3852 were treated with hydroxyurea and 130 were treated with hydroxyurea followed by ruxolitinib (Jakafi), Verstovsek says.

 The study evaluated thromboembolic events (TEs) ​that occurred in patients with PV who remained on hydroxyurea along with those who switched to ruxolitinib ​after hydroxyurea. Notably, TEs were assessed before treatment initiation in both groups, Verstovsek adds.

The results​ demonstrated an initial decrease in TEs in patients who received hydroxyurea alone. ​