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FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Incyte’s CALR‑Targeting Antibody as ASH Data Show Early Efficacy in Myelofibrosis

Incyte targets a 2026 registrational program in essential thrombocythemia following phase 1 reports of no dose‑limiting toxicities with clinically meaningful spleen and anemia benefits.

Overview

  • The FDA granted breakthrough therapy designation for INCA033989 in essential thrombocythemia with type 1 CALR mutations after failure or intolerance to at least one cytoreductive therapy, with Incyte planning a phase 3 program in 2026.
  • Across phase 1 myelofibrosis studies, no dose‑limiting toxicities were observed with INCA033989 given alone or with ruxolitinib, though treatment‑emergent adverse events were common, including grade ≥3 events in 30.8% on monotherapy and 55.0% on combination.
  • Monotherapy produced Week 24 spleen responses in CALR‑mutated myelofibrosis (SVR25 41.7%, SVR35 33.3%), with higher rates in JAK inhibitor–naive patients (SVR25 71.4%, SVR35 57.1%).
  • Anemia responses were reported in 56% of evaluable anemic patients on monotherapy, including 40% major responses, while the ruxolitinib combination showed SVR25 and SVR35 rates of 50% and 25% with mostly stable anemia.
  • Exploratory analyses showed reductions in mutant CALR variant allele frequency in 89.4% of patients with post‑baseline testing, including 10.6% with reductions of at least 25%, which the company described as consistent with potential disease‑modifying activity.