Prospera (ABNL-MARRO 002): A randomized phase 2 study of pacritinib vs. hydroxyurea in patients with advanced proliferative chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML)

Abstract Background and Significance: Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a clonal hematopoietic malignancy with overlapping dysplastic and proliferative features, a high risk of leukemic transformation, and no disease-modifying therapies. Patients with proliferative CMML often present with symptomatic monocytosis, leukocytosis, splenomegaly, and systemic inflammation, which contribute to shortened survival and impaired quality of life. Hydroxyurea (HU), the standard cytoreductive agent, provides transient control of leukocytosis but has no known disease modifying properties. In the phase 3 DACOTA trial (Itzykson et al., JCO 2022), decitabine modestly delayed leukemic transformation compared to HU but did not improve event-free or overall survival and was associated with increased early mortality. HU achieved a clinical benefit rate (CBR) of approximately 15% (excluding stable disease), highlighting the urgent need for safer and more effective therapies. Pacritinib is a potent and selective multikinase inhibitor with a kinome profile that targets key mediators of clonal proliferation and inflammatory signaling relevant to CMML. It inhibits JAK2 (IC₅₀ = 6 nM) and IRAK1 (IC₅₀ = 13.6 nM)—critical drivers of cytokine-mediated growth and monocytic skewing—while sparing JAK1, potentially reducing myelosuppressive toxicity. Pacritinib also inhibits CSF1R (IC₅₀= 39.5 nM) which is involved in monocytic differentiation. Preclinical models demonstrate that dual inhibition of JAK2 and IRAK1 suppresses CMML colony formation and prolongs survival in xenografts. Furthermore, CSF1R inhibition may reduce monocyte-lineage bias in leukemic clones. Clinically, pacritinib is FDA-approved for intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis with severe thrombocytopenia (platelets <50 × 10⁹/L) based on evidence of significant spleen volume and symptom reduction with limited hematologic toxicity. These mechanistic and clinical data provide a strong rationale for evaluating pacritinib in advanced proliferative CMML, a setting characterized by both cytokine-driven proliferation and treatment-limiting cytopenias. Study Design and Methods PROSPERA (NCT07033598) is a collaborative multicenter, open-label, randomized phase 2 trial. Sixty-six patients with WHO-defined CMML-1 or CMML-2 will be enrolled. Eligible patients must have proliferative features (WBC ≥13 × 10⁹/L) and advanced disease as defined by ≥5 cm palpable splenomegaly, symptom burden (Myeloproliferative Neoplasm-Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score MPNSAF-TSS ≥20), or thrombocytopenia (platelets <100 × 10⁹/L). Prior JAK inhibitor therapy is not allowed. The trial will be conducted at approximately six sites across the United States and United Kingdom, with enrollment anticipated to begin by the end of 2025. Participants will be randomized 2:1 to receive either pacritinib (200 mg orally twice daily) or HU (dosed as per investigator discretion) for 48 weeks. Patients in the HU arm may cross over to pacritinib at Week 24 if, in the opinion of the treating physician, they are not deriving clinical benefit (after assessment of the primary endpoint). Randomization will be stratified by prior cytoreductive therapy (none vs. prior HU or hypomethylating agents). The primary endpoint is CBR at Week 24, defined by modified IWG MDS/MPN criteria incorporating hematologic improvement, spleen volume reduction, and symptom response. Secondary endpoints include CBR at any time, duration of response, event-free survival, leukemia-free survival, and overall survival. Correlative studies will assess treatment-related changes in clonal dynamics, cytokine signaling, and hematopoietic composition using longitudinal peripheral blood and bone marrow sampling. Single-cell transcriptomic and immunophenotypic profiling will be employed to characterize pacritinib's impact on both the malignant clone and the surrounding immune microenvironment.