Multinational phase 3 trial of ruxolitinib versus best available therapy for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease

Corticosteroids are the standard firsl-line therapy for acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, but up to 50% of patients become steroid-refractory (SR). The multinational phase 3 REACH2 trial compared ruxolitinib versus best available therapy (BAT) among patients with SR-aGVHD. Results after 24 months of treatment have now been published. Median duration of response was 167 days with ruxolitinib and 106 days with BAT. Failure-free survival was better with ruxolitinib than with BAT. The authors conclude that ruxolitinib provided efficacy advantages over BAT in patients with SR-aGVHD over 24 months.