Texas MPN Workshop 2021 | The latest updates on COVID-19 and MPNs
Laura Michaelis, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, discusses the latest updates regarding COVID-19 and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), highlighting the elevated risk COVID-19 poses to patients with MPNs. Dr Michaelis also talks on the impact of JAK inhibitor discontinuation whereby some patients experience a relapse of symptoms and, in some cases, life-threatening adverse events. This interview took place at the Texas MPN Workshop: Second Annual Workshop and Meeting in 2021.
Transcript (edited for clarity)
Over the course of the last 20 to 21 months, we’ve gathered a lot of data. Some of it has been good data and some has been a little bit more controversial, but I can tell you that, overall, the registries show that patients with MPNs are still at higher risk than those age-matched of controls for death or serious disease due to coronavirus. So, we still have, as practitioners, an obligation to really make sure that our patients are protected as much as possible...
Over the course of the last 20 to 21 months, we’ve gathered a lot of data. Some of it has been good data and some has been a little bit more controversial, but I can tell you that, overall, the registries show that patients with MPNs are still at higher risk than those age-matched of controls for death or serious disease due to coronavirus. So, we still have, as practitioners, an obligation to really make sure that our patients are protected as much as possible. Now, in some cases, or in many cases, that’s by receiving the vaccine, one of the three vaccines or four vaccines that are approved for the treatment of coronavirus.
However, there are some patients who are not going to respond to the vaccine, at least initially, as well. We just learned, actually last night, that the Food and Drug Administration here in the United States is approving third doses, so boosters as they say, for immunocompromised patients for example. The details of that are still to come out and I may have more at the time of our talk at the MPNs meeting, but I think that’s something really interesting to watch for.
The other things we’ve learned about coronavirus is that in this population is that there is probably a significant harm if patients are on ruxolitinib, that JAK inhibitor, and that are stopped. We learned that from the Italian data that we heard a little bit more of this morning as well. And we know that patients with MPNs have a predilection for either venous or arterial clotting, and that may also synergize with the inflammatory response to the virus.
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