Health Care Burden Associated With Anemia in Ruxolitinib-Treated Myelofibrosis
A retrospective analysis from Annals of Hematology using the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus database highlights the clinical and economic burden associated with anemia in patients with myelofibrosis (MF) initiating ruxolitinib. Among 481 patients with MF treated with ruxolitinib identified between 2011 and 2022, more than half (53%) had a diagnosis of anemia at baseline. Compared with patients who were not anemic, those with anemia were older (mean age, 60.2 vs 56.8 years; P < .001), exhibited a higher comorbidity burden (Charlson Comorbidity Index 1.0 vs 0.5; P < .001), and had significantly higher health care resource utilization (HCRU) across inpatient, outpatient, and emergency settings.
Anemic patients had twice the median annual number of outpatient visits (40.0 vs 20.0; P < .001) and higher rates of inpatient admissions (53.3% vs 31.7%; P < .001) and emergency department visits (56.4% vs 46.0%; P < .050) relative to patients who were not anemic. Median all-cause health care costs were numerically higher among anemic patients ($198 491 vs $170 419), although not statistically significant. Notably, total pharmacy costs were significantly lower in the anemic group ($129 381 vs $136 686; P < .050), potentially reflecting reduced ruxolitinib exposure due to earlier discontinuation.
Treatment discontinuation was common in both groups but occurred significantly earlier in anemic patients, with a median time to discontinuation of 14.1 months compared with 23.8 months in patients who were not anemic (P < .010). Discontinuation rates were also higher in anemic patients at both 1 year (47.6% vs 31.6%) and 2 years (62.7% vs 51.1%) post initiation.
These findings underscore the high clinical and economic burden of anemia in ruxolitinib-treated MF and highlight the potential need for alternative treatment approaches that can mitigate anemia while maintaining clinical efficacy. Emerging therapies, such as momelotinib, which target both disease symptoms and anemia, may offer a more comprehensive benefit for this patient population.
Reference
Liu T, Fillbrunn M, Zhang S, et al. Treatment patterns and healthcare resource utilization in rux-olitinib-treated patients with myelofibrosis with and without anemia: a real-world analysis. Ann Hematol. Published online March 12, 2025. doi:10.1007/s00277-025-06279-0
