Rye Brook, N.Y., September 29, 2023 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved momelotinib (Ojjaara™) for use in adults with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis, including primary or secondary myelofibrosis, with anemia.
Treatment with momelotinib resulted in better symptom reduction versus ruxolitinib (Jakafi®) in one trial and danazol in another, which the FDA used to support this approval.
Patients with myelofibrosis often deal with debilitating side effects including anemia, fatigue, bone pain, and an enlarged spleen. Oftentimes the goal of treatment for myelofibrosis is to slow disease progression and manage symptoms to improve a patient’s quality of life.
“This approval gives patients with myelofibrosis a once-daily treatment to better help manage some of the most common symptoms associated with this disease,” says LLS’s Chief Scientific Officer Lee Greenberger, Ph.D. “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is committed to improving the lives of all patients living with blood cancer.”
Research into additional treatment options to elicit long-term responses and symptom control is ongoing, says Dr. Greenberger.
“Continued work is necessary to ensure patients not only live longer and see durable remissions, but that they can return to what they once considered normal daily routines,” he concluded.
If you or a loved one need personalized disease, treatment or support information, you can contact one of our Information Specialists: https://www.lls.org/support-resources/information-specialists
Visit LLS.org to learn more about myelofibrosis, a rare type of blood cancer.