A team of researchers from the US conducted the study, presented their findings during the SOHO 2026 Annual Meeting, and published them as an abstract in a recent issue of Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma and Leukemia.
The researchers sought to explore how a once-daily XR dose of ruxolitinib “might influence clinical practice” in the treatment of patients eligible to receive the medication.
Investigators conducted telephone interviews with HCPs from the US and evaluated the transcripts of those interviews “through a structured coding approach to identify key themes, supported by qualitative analysis software.”
A total of 30 HCPs, including hematologist-oncologists and nurse practitioners from academic and community settings, participated in the interviews, and all HCPs had experience managing patients with myelofibrosis, PV, or GVHD.
In the interviews, HCPs explained that choice of treatment for patients with myelofibrosis, PV, or GVHD “is driven primarily by disease characteristics and patient factors, with efficacy and safety consistently prioritized.”
Factors that were found to inform treatment decision-making included cytopenias, organ involvement, patient preferences, and symptom burden. The HCPs reported that the frequency of dosing was typically a “secondary consideration” but explained that dosing frequency could affect the experience of treatment and medication adherence by some patients.
When comparing efficacy, safety, and the flexibility of dosing, HCPs were found to favor once-daily XR ruxolitinib versus twice-daily ruxolitinib. “XR dosing was described as a conditional optimization rather than a primary treatment driver,” investigators explained.
Some HCPs who were interviewed reported that because twice-daily dosing of ruxolitinib “is already manageable” for patients with myelofibrosis, PV, or GVHD, alterations to patients’ dosing schedules “might have variable effects on prescribing decision depending on patient context.”
However, it was also reported that patients at risk for not adhering to a twice-daily dosing schedule, such as “older patients, those with cognitive limitations, limited caregiver support, or high pill burden,” could benefit from once-daily XR dosing of ruxolitinib. Despite the potential benefits, many HCPs who were interviewed expressed reluctance to switch patients who were stable on a twice-daily schedule.
Investigators also highlighted that access and coverage considerations “were frequently cited as potential barriers to uptake.”
Ultimately, the study found that once-daily XR dosing of ruxolitinib was viewed favorably by HCPs, with the potential to “support adherence and treatment continuity in specific patient populations, particularly those at risk of nonadherence, when comparable efficacy, safety, and dosing flexibility are maintained.”