A Study of Ruxolitinib vs Best Available Therapy (BAT) in Patients With Steroid-refractory Chronic Graft vs. Host Disease (GvHD) After Bone Marrow Transplantation (REACH3)

A Phase III Randomized Open-label Multi-center Study of Ruxolitinib vs. Best Available Therapy in Patients With Corticosteroid-refractory Chronic Graft vs Host Disease After Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation (REACH3)

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of ruxolitinib against best available therapy in participants with steroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease (SR cGvHD).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Graft-versus-host Disease (GVHD)
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Ruxolitinib; Drug: Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP); Drug: Low-dose methotrexate (MTX); Drug: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF); Drug: mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors (everolimus or sirolimus); Drug: Infliximab; Drug: Rituximab; Drug: Pentostatin; Drug: Imatinib; Drug: Ibrutinib

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 330
• Phase: Phase 3

Expanded Access

Approved for sale to the public. See expanded access record.

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Australia
  • New South Wales
    • Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia, 2010
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Victoria
    • Parkville, Victoria, Australia, 3002
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Austria
  • Graz, Austria, 8036
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Linz, Austria, A-4010
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Vienna, Austria, A-1090
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Tyrol
    • Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, 6020
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Belgium
  • Antwerpen, Belgium, 2060
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Brugge, Belgium, 8000
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Bruxelles, Belgium, 1200
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Gent, Belgium, 9000
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Leuven, Belgium, 3000
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Liege, Belgium, 4000
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Bulgaria
  • Sofia, Bulgaria, 1527
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Sofia, Bulgaria, 1756
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1M9
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Ontario
    • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8V 5C2
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1H 8L6
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2M9
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Czechia
  • Praha 5, Czechia, 150 06
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • CZE
    • Hradec Kralove, CZE, Czechia, 500 05
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Czech Republic
    • Praha 2, Czech Republic, Czechia, 128 20
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Denmark
  • Copenhagen, Denmark, DK-2100
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Odense, Denmark, DK 5000
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• France
  • Amiens cedex1, France, 80054
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Caen Cedex 9, France, 14033
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Lille Cedex, France, 59037
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Limoges cedex, France, 87042
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Lyon Cedex 08, France, 69373
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Montpellier cedex 5, France, 34295
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • PARIS Cedex 12, France, 75571
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Paris Cedex 19, France, 75935
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Paris cedex 10, France, 75475
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Pierre-Benite Cédex, France, 69495
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Rennes Cedex 9, France, 35033
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Rouen Cedex 1, France, 76038
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Saint Priest en Jarez Cedex, France, 42271
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Strasbourg Cedex, France, 67098
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Toulouse Cedex 9, France, 31059
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Vandoeuvre les Nancy cedex, France, 54511
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Aquitaine
    • Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France, 33076
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Germany
  • Augsburg, Germany, 86156
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Berlin, Germany, 13125
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Dresden, Germany, 01307
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Duesseldorf, Germany, 40225
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Erlangen, Germany, 91054
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Essen, Germany, 45147
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Frankfurt, Germany, 60590
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Freiburg, Germany, 79106
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Hamburg, Germany, 20246
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Hamburg, Germany, 20099
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Jena, Germany, 07747
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Kiel, Germany, 24105
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Koeln, Germany, 50937
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Leipzig, Germany, 04103
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Mainz, Germany, 55131
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Mannheim, Germany, 68167
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Muenster, Germany, 48149
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Ulm, Germany
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Würzburg, Germany, 97080
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Baden-Württemberg
    • Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, 68167
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Greece
  • Athens, Greece
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • GR
    • Athens, GR, Greece
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Patras, GR, Greece, 265 00
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Thessaloníki, GR, Greece
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Hungary
  • Budapest, Hungary, 1097
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• India
  • Delhi, India, 110 085
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Vellore, India, 632004
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Maharashtra
    • Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, 410210
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Pune, Maharashtra, India, 411004
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Israel
  • Haifa, Israel, 31096
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Jerusalem, Israel, 91120
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Petach Tikva, Israel, 49100
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Tel Aviv, Israel, 64239
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Italy
  • Perugia, Italy, 06132
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • AN
    • Ancona, AN, Italy, 60126
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • BG
    • Bergamo, BG, Italy, 24127
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • BO
    • Bologna, BO, Italy, 40138
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • BS
    • Brescia, BS, Italy, 25123
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • GE
    • Genova, GE, Italy, 16147
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Genova, GE, Italy, 16132
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • MI
    • Milano, MI, Italy, 20133
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Milano, MI, Italy, 20132
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Rozzano, MI, Italy, 20089
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • PA
    • Palermo, PA, Italy, 90146
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • PE
    • Pescara, PE, Italy, 65124
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • PR
    • Parma, PR, Italy, 43100
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • PV
    • Pavia, PV, Italy, 27100
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • RM
    • Roma, RM, Italy, 00168
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Roma, RM, Italy, 00165
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Roma, RM, Italy, 00133
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • TO
    • Torino, TO, Italy, 10126
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • UD
    • Udine, UD, Italy, 33100
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Japan
  • Kyoto, Japan, 606-8507
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Okayama, Japan, 700-8558
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Aichi
    • Nagoya-city, Aichi, Japan, 453-8511
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Fukuoka
    • Fukuoka-city, Fukuoka, Japan, 812-8582
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Hokkaido
    • Sapporo-city, Hokkaido, Japan, 060-8648
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Hyogo
    • Kobe-city, Hyogo, Japan, 650-0047
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Nishinomiya-city, Hyogo, Japan, 663 8501
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Kanagawa
    • Isehara-city, Kanagawa, Japan, 259-1193
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Miyagi
    • Sendai-city, Miyagi, Japan, 980-8574
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Osaka
    • Osaka-city, Osaka, Japan, 545-8586
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Suita-city, Osaka, Japan, 565-0871
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Tochigi
    • Shimotsuke-city, Tochigi, Japan, 329-0498
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Tokyo
    • Bunkyō-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 113-8677
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 105-8470
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 160-8582
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Jordan
  • Amman, Jordan, 11941
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Korea, Republic of
  • Seoul, Korea, Republic of, 03080
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Seoul, Korea, Republic of, 06351
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Netherlands
  • Leiden, Netherlands, 2333 ZA
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Nijmegen, Netherlands, 6525 GA
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Rotterdam, Netherlands, 3015 CE
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • The Netherlands
    • Utrecht, The Netherlands, Netherlands, 3508 GA
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Norway
  • Oslo, Norway, 0424
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Poland
  • Katowice, Poland
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Kraków, Poland
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Warszawa, Poland
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Dolnoslaskie
    • Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Slaskie
    • Gliwice, Slaskie, Poland
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Portugal
  • Lisboa, Portugal
    • Novartis Investigational site
  • Porto, Portugal
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Puerto Rico
  • Ponce, Puerto Rico, 11040
    • Incyte Investigative Site
• Romania
  • Bucharest, Romania, 022328
    • Novartis Investigational site
  • Bucharest, Romania
    • Novartis Investigational site
• Russian Federation
  • Moscow, Russian Federation, 125167
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, 197022
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Saudi Arabia
  • Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 11211
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Spain
  • Barcelona, Spain, 08026
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, 35012
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Madrid, Spain, 28041
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Madrid, Spain, 28006
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Andalucia
    • Cordoba, Andalucia, Spain, 14004
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Andalucía
    • Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain, 41013
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Castilla Y Leon
    • Salamanca, Castilla Y Leon, Spain, 37007
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Catalunya
    • Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, 08035
      • Novartis Investigative Site
    • Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, 08026
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Cataluña
    • L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Cataluña, Spain, 08907
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Comunidad Valenciana
    • Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain, 46010
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Galicia
    • Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, 15706
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Murica
    • El Palmar, Murica, Spain
      • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Pais Vasco
    • San Sebastian, Pais Vasco, Spain, 20080
      • Novartis Investigative Site
• Sweden
  • Göteborg, Sweden, SE-413 45
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Uppsala, Sweden, SE-751 85
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Switzerland
  • Basel, Switzerland, 4031
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Zürich, Switzerland, 8091
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• Turkey
  • Ankara, Turkey, 06100
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Ankara, Turkey, 06460
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Antalya, Turkey, 07100
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• United Kingdom
  • Glasgow, United Kingdom, G51 4TF
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • London, United Kingdom, SE5 9RS
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • London, United Kingdom, NW1 2PQ
    • Novartis Investigative Site
  • Manchester, United Kingdom, M13 9WL
    • Novartis Investigative Site
• United States
  • Arizona
    • Tucson, Arizona, United States, 85724
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • California
    • Duarte, California, United States, 31010
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • La Jolla, California, United States, 92093-0987
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Connecticut
    • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06510
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Delaware
    • Wilmington, Delaware, United States, 19803
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Florida
    • Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32610
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Tampa, Florida, United States, 33612
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Maywood, Illinois, United States, 60153
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Indiana
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46237
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Kansas
    • Westwood, Kansas, United States, 66205
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Kentucky
    • Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 40536
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Nebraska
    • Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68198-7680
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • New Jersey
    • Hackensack, New Jersey, United States, 07601
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10021
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • New York, New York, United States, 10032
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • New York, New York, United States, 11040
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • North Carolina
    • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27157
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Ohio
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45242
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106-5048
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Oklahoma
    • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 73104
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15224
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15232
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Texas
    • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390
      • Incyte Investigative Site
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98109
      • Incyte Investigative Site
  • Wisconsin
    • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, 53226
      • Incyte Investigative Site

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have undergone allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) from any donor source (matched unrelated donor, sibling, haplo-identical) using bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, or cord blood. Recipients of non-myeloablative, myeloablative, and reduced intensity conditioning are eligible
• Evident myeloid and platelet engraftment: Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) > 1000/mm^3 and platelet count > 25,000/ mm^3

• Participants with clinically diagnosed moderate to severe cGvHD according to NIH Consensus Criteria prior to randomization:

  • Moderate cGvHD: At least one organ (not lung) with a score of 2, 3 or more organs involved with a score of 1 in each organ, or lung score of 1
  • Severe cGvHD: at least 1 organ with a score of 3, or lung score of 2 or 3

• Participants currently receiving systemic or topical corticosteroids for the treatment of cGvHD for a duration of < 12 months prior to Cycle 1 Day 1 (if applicable), and have a confirmed diagnosis of steroid-refractory cGvHD defined per 2014 NIH consensus criteria irrespective of the concomitant use of a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI), as follows:

  • A lack of response or disease progression after administration of minimum prednisone 1 mg/kg/day for at least 1 week, OR
  • Disease persistence without improvement despite continued treatment with prednisone at > 0.5 mg/kg/day or 1 mg/kg/every other day for at least 4 weeks, OR
  • Increase to prednisolone dose to > 0.25 mg/kg/day after 2 unsuccessful attempts to taper the dose
• Participant must accept to be treated with only one of the following BAT options on Cycle 1 Day 1 (additions and changes are allowed during the course of the study, but only with BAT from the following BAT options): extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), low-dose methotrexate (MTX), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), mTOR inhibitors (everolimus or sirolimus), infliximab, rituximab, pentostatin, imatinib, ibrutinib

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants who have received 2 or more systemic treatment for cGvHD in addition to corticosteroids ± CNI for cGvHD

• Patients that transition from active aGvHD to cGvHD without tapering off corticosteroids ± CNI and any systemic treatment

  * Patients receiving up to 30 mg by mouth once a day of hydrocortisone (i.e., physiologic replacement dose) of corticosteroids are allowed.

• Participants who were treated with prior JAK inhibitors for aGvHD; except when the participant achieved complete or partial response and has been off JAK inhibitor treatment for at least 8 weeks prior to Cycle 1 Day 1
• Failed prior alloSCT within the past 6 months from Cycle 1 Day 1
• Participants with relapsed primary malignancy, or who have been treated for relapse after the alloSCT was performed
• Steroid refractory cGvHD occurring after a non-scheduled donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) administered for preemptive treatment of malignancy recurrence. Participants who have received a scheduled DLI as part of their transplant procedure and not for management of malignancy relapse are eligible
• Any corticosteroid therapy for indications other than cGvHD at doses > 1 mg/kg/day methylprednisolone or equivalent within 7 days of Cycle 1 Day 1

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Ruxolitinib; Ruxolitinib for the treatment period and extension period.	Drug: Ruxolitinib; Ruxolitinib twice daily at the protocol-defined starting dose.; Other Names: Jakafi, INCB018424
Active Comparator: Best Available Therapy; Best available therapy for the treatment period and extension period, with optional crossover to ruxolitinib after Cycle 6.	Drug: Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP); Best available therapy (BAT) will be selected by the investigator for each participant. BAT may not include experimental agents (ie, those not approved for the treatment of any indication) as well as a limited number of other selected drugs in accordance with the protocol-defined requirements. The BAT in this study will be among the following treatments currently used in this setting (no other types or combinations of BATs are permitted in this study).; Drug: Low-dose methotrexate (MTX); Patients will receive BAT based on the Investigator's opinion, taking into account the manufacturer's instructions, labeling, subject's medical condition, and institutional guidelines for any dose adjustment.; Drug: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF); Patients will receive BAT based on the Investigator's opinion, taking into account the manufacturer's instructions, labeling, subject's medical condition, and institutional guidelines for any dose adjustment.; Drug: mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors (everolimus or sirolimus); Patients will receive BAT based on the Investigator's opinion, taking into account the manufacturer's instructions, labeling, subject's medical condition, and institutional guidelines for any dose adjustment.; Drug: Infliximab; Patients will receive BAT based on the Investigator's opinion, taking into account the manufacturer's instructions, labeling, subject's medical condition, and institutional guidelines for any dose adjustment.; Drug: Rituximab; Patients will receive BAT based on the Investigator's opinion, taking into account the manufacturer's instructions, labeling, subject's medical condition, and institutional guidelines for any dose adjustment.; Drug: Pentostatin; Patients will receive BAT based on the Investigator's opinion, taking into account the manufacturer's instructions, labeling, subject's medical condition, and institutional guidelines for any dose adjustment.; Drug: Imatinib; Patients will receive BAT based on the Investigator's opinion, taking into account the manufacturer's instructions, labeling, subject's medical condition, and institutional guidelines for any dose adjustment.; Drug: Ibrutinib; Patients will receive BAT based on the Investigator's opinion, taking into account the manufacturer's instructions, labeling, subject's medical condition, and institutional guidelines for any dose adjustment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Efficacy of Ruxolitinib Versus Investigator's Choice Best Available Therapy (BAT) in Participants With Moderate or Severe Steroid Refractory Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease (SR-cGvHD) Assessed by Overall Response Rate (ORR) at the Cycle 7 Day 1 Visit	ORR was defined as the percentage of participants in each arm demonstrating a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) based on chronic GvHD (cGvHD) disease assessments (National Institutes of Health Consensus Criteria) without the requirement of additional systemic therapies for an earlier progression, mixed response, or non-response. Scoring of response was relative to the organ score at the time of randomization. CR: complete resolution of all signs and symptoms of cGVHD in all evaluable organs without the initiation or addition of new systemic therapy. PR: improvement in at least one organ (e.g., improvement of 1 or more points on a 4- to 7-point scale, or an improvement of 2 or more points on a 10- to 12-point scale) without progression in other organs or sites, initiation, or addition of new systemic therapies.	Cycle 7 Day 1 (each cycle was comprised of 4 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Rate of Participants With Clinically Relevant Improvement of the Modified Lee cGvHD Symptom Scale Score	To assess improvement of symptoms based on the total symptom score (TSS); a responder was defined as having achieved a clinically relevant reduction from Baseline of the TSS. The scale consists of 30 items in 7 subscales (skin, eye, mouth, lung, nutrition, energy, and psychological). Participants reported their level of symptom "bother" over the previous month on a 5-point likert scale: not at all, slightly, moderately, quite a bit, or extremely. Subscale scores and the summary score range from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating worse symptoms.	Baseline; Cycle 7 Day 1 (each cycle was comprised of 4 weeks)
Rate of Failure-free Survival (FFS)	Composite time to event endpoint incorporating the following FFS events: (i) relapse or recurrence of underlying disease or death due to underlying disease, (ii) nonrelapse mortality, or (iii) addition or initiation of another systemic therapy for cGvHD.	Baseline to when the last participant reached Cycle 7 Day 1 (each cycle was comprised of 4 weeks)
Rate of FFS at Study Completion	Composite time to event endpoint incorporating the following FFS events: (i) relapse or recurrence of underlying disease or death due to underlying disease, (ii) nonrelapse mortality, or (iii) addition or initiation of another systemic therapy for cGvHD.	From Baseline to Last Participant Last Visit (LPLV) (approximately 5 years)
Best Overall Response (BOR) at Cycle 7 Day 1	BOR was defined as the percentage of participants who achieved an overall response (CR+PR) based on cGvHD disease assessments (National Institutes of Health Consensus Criteria) without the requirement of additional systemic therapies for an earlier progression, mixed response, or non-response at any time point (up to Cycle 7 Day 1 or the start of additional systemic therapy for cGvHD). Scoring of response was relative to the organ score at the time of randomization. CR: complete resolution of all signs and symptoms of cGVHD in all evaluable organs without the initiation or addition of new systemic therapy. PR: improvement in at least one organ (e.g., improvement of 1 or more points on a 4- to 7-point scale, or an improvement of 2 or more points on a 10- to 12-point scale) without progression in other organs or sites, initiation, or addition of new systemic therapies. This analysis was based on the primary cutoff date (May 2020).	up to Cycle 7 Day 1 (each cycle was comprised of 4 weeks)
BOR During Cross-over Treatment With Ruxolitinib	BOR was defined as the percentage of participants who achieved an overall response (CR+PR) based on cGvHD disease assessments (National Institutes of Health Consensus Criteria) without the requirement of additional systemic therapies for an earlier progression, mixed response, or non-response at any time point (up to Cycle 7 Day 1 or the start of additional systemic therapy for cGvHD). Scoring of response was relative to the organ score at the time of randomization. CR: complete resolution of all signs and symptoms of cGVHD in all evaluable organs without the initiation or addition of new systemic therapy. PR: improvement in at least one organ (e.g., improvement of 1 or more points on a 4- to 7-point scale, or an improvement of 2 or more points on a 10- to 12-point scale) without progression in other organs or sites, initiation, or addition of new systemic therapies.	from Crossover Cycle 1 Day 1 to any time point up to and including Crossover Cycle 7 Day 1 (each cycle was comprised of 4 weeks)
ORR at the End of Cycle 3	ORR was defined as the percentage of participants in each arm demonstrating a CR or PR based on cGvHD disease assessments (National Institutes of Health Consensus Criteria) without the requirement of additional systemic therapies for an earlier progression, mixed response, or non-response. Scoring of response was relative to the organ score at the time of randomization. CR: complete resolution of all signs and symptoms of cGVHD in all evaluable organs without the initiation or addition of new systemic therapy. PR: improvement in at least one organ (e.g., improvement of 1 or more points on a 4- to 7-point scale, or an improvement of 2 or more points on a 10- to 12-point scale) without progression in other organs or sites, initiation, or addition of new systemic therapies.	Cycle 4 Day 1 (each cycle was comprised of 4 weeks)
Duration of Response Through Study Completion	DOR was defined as the time from first response until cGvHD progression, death, or the date of change/addition of systemic therapies for cGvHD and as assessed for responders only. Response was based on cGvHD disease assessments (National Institutes of Health consensus criteria). Duration of response was evaluated in participants who achieved a CR or PR at or before Cycle 7 Day 1. The analysis included a larger number of participants than the number of participants who achieved CR or PR at Cycle 7 Day 1 (82 ruxolitinib and 42 BAT) because the analysis took into account not only those participants who achieved CR or PR at Cycle 7 Day 1, but also participants who achieved CR or PR before Cycle 7 Day 1 but who may have lost their response at Cycle 7 Day 1. For this reason, the number of participants in this analysis does not align with the best overall response (BOR) at Cycle 7 Day 1. This analysis was based on the cutoff date upon study completion (December 2022).	from first response to LPLV (approximately 5 years)
Overall Survival (OS)	Overall survival was defined as the time from the date of randomization to the date of death due to any cause.	from the date of randomization to the date of death due to any cause up to LPLV (approximately 5 years)
Cumulative Incidence of Non-relapse Mortality (NRM)	Defined as the cumulative incidence rate from competing risk analysis for NRM from the date of randomization to the date of death not preceded by underlying disease relapse/recurrence.	Months 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36
Percentage of Participants With a ≥ 50% Reduction in Daily Corticosteroid Dose	All corticosteroid dosages prescribed to the participant and all dose changes during the study were to be recorded for assessment of participants with a ≥ 50% reduction in daily corticosteroid dose.	from Day 15 up to Day 182
Percentage of Participants Successfully Tapered Off of All Corticosteroids	All corticosteroid dosages prescribed to the participant and all dose changes during the study were to be recorded for assessment of participants who successfully tapered off of all corticosteroids. Participants who completely tapered off corticosteroids refer to those who permanently discontinued steroids as per the dose administration panel and who did not restart steroids in the same interval. Participants who were tapered off and continued follow-up were also counted as being tapered off with 0 dose in subsequent intervals until they discontinued from the main treatment period or restarted steroid treatment.	up to Day 179
Cumulative Incidence of Malignancy Relapse/Recurrence (MR)	Defined as the cumulative incidence rate from competing risk analysis of MR from the date of randomization to hematologic malignancy relapse/recurrence.	Months 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36
Change From Baseline in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT-BMT)	Change from Baseline was calculated as the post-Baseline value minus the Baseline value. The FACT-BMT is a 50-item self-report questionnaire that measures the effect of a therapy on domains including physical, functional, social/family, and emotional well-being, together with additional concerns relevant for bone marrow transplantation participants. The questions were based on a 5-point Likert scale, where 0 corresponds to "not at all" and 4 corresponds to "very much." The higher the final score, the better the quality of life. The FACT-BMT total score ranges from 0 to 148.	Baseline; up to Cycle 39 Day 1 (each cycle was comprised of 4 weeks)
Change From Baseline in EQ-5D-5L	The EQ-5D-5L is a descriptive classification consisting of five dimensions of health: mobility, self-care, usual activities, anxiety/depression, and pain/discomfort. The five-level version (no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems, and extreme problems) uses a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 being no problems and 5 being extreme problems.	Baseline; up to Cycle 39 Day 1 (each cycle was comprised of 4 weeks)
Number of Participants With Any Treatment-emergent Adverse Event (TEAE)	Adverse events were defined as the appearance of (or worsening of any pre-existing) undesirable signs, symptoms, or medical conditions that occurred after the participant's signed informed consent was obtained. Abnormal laboratory values or test results occurring after informed consent constituted adverse events only if they induced clinical signs or symptoms, were considered clinically significant, required therapy (e.g., hematologic abnormality that required transfusion or hematological stem cell support), or required changes in study medication(s). TEAEs were defined as those AEs that started or worsened during the on-treatment period (either randomized or cross-over period).	from Baseline to LPLV (approximately 5 years)
Cmax of Ruxolitinib After Single (Cycle 1 Day 1) and Multiple (Cycle 1 Day 15) Doses	Cmax was defined as the maximum observed plasma concentration of ruxolitinib. Early enrolling participants (approximately the first 8 adult and first 4 adolescent participants) randomized to ruxolitinib arm followed an "extensive PK" sampling schedule. Subsequent participants randomized to ruxolitinib, any randomized participants receiving ruxolitinib after Cycle 6, and any randomized participants receiving BAT that cross over to ruxolitinib followed the "sparse PK" sampling schedule.	Extensive Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 0.5, 1, 1.5, 4, 6, and 9 hours post-dose. Sparse Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 1.5 hours post-dose
AUClast of Ruxolitinib After Single (Cycle 1 Day 1) and Multiple (Cycle 1 Day 15) Doses	AUClast was defined as the area under the concentration-time curve up to the last measurable concentration of ruxolitinib. Early enrolling participants (approximately the first 8 adult and first 4 adolescent participants) randomized to ruxolitinib arm followed an "extensive PK" sampling schedule. Subsequent participants randomized to ruxolitinib, any randomized participants receiving ruxolitinib after Cycle 6, and any randomized participants receiving BAT that cross over to ruxolitinib followed the "sparse PK" sampling schedule.	Extensive Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 0.5, 1, 1.5, 4, 6, and 9 hours post-dose. Sparse Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 1.5 hours post-dose
AUCinf of Ruxolitinib After Single (Cycle 1 Day 1) and Multiple (Cycle 1 Day 15) Doses	AUCinf was defined as the area under the concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity. Early enrolling participants (approximately the first 8 adult and first 4 adolescent participants) randomized to ruxolitinib arm followed an "extensive PK" sampling schedule. Subsequent participants randomized to ruxolitinib, any randomized participants receiving ruxolitinib after Cycle 6, and any randomized participants receiving BAT that cross over to ruxolitinib followed the "sparse PK" sampling schedule.	Extensive Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 0.5, 1, 1.5, 4, 6, and 9 hours post-dose. Sparse Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 1.5 hours post-dose
CL/F of Ruxolitinib After Single (Cycle 1 Day 1) and Multiple (Cycle 1 Day 15) Doses	CL/F was defined as the oral dose clearance of ruxolitinib. Early enrolling participants (approximately the first 8 adult and first 4 adolescent participants) randomized to ruxolitinib arm followed an "extensive PK" sampling schedule. Subsequent participants randomized to ruxolitinib, any randomized participants receiving ruxolitinib after Cycle 6, and any randomized participants receiving BAT that cross over to ruxolitinib followed the "sparse PK" sampling schedule.	Extensive Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 0.5, 1, 1.5, 4, 6, and 9 hours post-dose. Sparse Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 1.5 hours post-dose
Vz/F of Ruxolitinib After Single (Cycle 1 Day 1) and Multiple (Cycle 1 Day 15) Doses	Vz/F was defined as the apparent oral dose volume of distribution of ruxolitinib. Early enrolling participants (approximately the first 8 adult and first 4 adolescent participants) randomized to ruxolitinib arm followed an "extensive PK" sampling schedule. Subsequent participants randomized to ruxolitinib, any randomized participants receiving ruxolitinib after Cycle 6, and any randomized participants receiving BAT that cross over to ruxolitinib followed the "sparse PK" sampling schedule.	Extensive Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 0.5, 1, 1.5, 4, 6, and 9 hours post-dose. Sparse Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 1.5 hours post-dose
Tmax of Ruxolitinib After Single (Cycle 1 Day 1) and Multiple (Cycle 1 Day 15) Doses	tmax was defined as the time to reach the maximum plasma concentration of ruxolitinib. Early enrolling participants (approximately the first 8 adult and first 4 adolescent participants) randomized to ruxolitinib arm followed an "extensive PK" sampling schedule. Subsequent participants randomized to ruxolitinib, any randomized participants receiving ruxolitinib after Cycle 6, and any randomized participants receiving BAT that cross over to ruxolitinib followed the "sparse PK" sampling schedule.	Extensive Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 0.5, 1, 1.5, 4, 6, and 9 hours post-dose. Sparse Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 1.5 hours post-dose
t1/2 of Ruxolitinib After Single (Cycle 1 Day 1) and Multiple (Cycle 1 Day 15) Doses	t1/2 was defined as the apparent terminal phase disposition half-life of ruxolitinib. Early enrolling participants (approximately the first 8 adult and first 4 adolescent participants) randomized to ruxolitinib arm followed an "extensive PK" sampling schedule. Subsequent participants randomized to ruxolitinib, any randomized participants receiving ruxolitinib after Cycle 6, and any randomized participants receiving BAT that cross over to ruxolitinib followed the "sparse PK" sampling schedule.	Extensive Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 0.5, 1, 1.5, 4, 6, and 9 hours post-dose. Sparse Sampling Schedule: Cycle 1 Days 1 and 15: predose; 1.5 hours post-dose
Utilization of Medical Resources	The percentage of participants with at least one submission to healthcare encounter was assessed.	from Baseline to LPLV (approximately 5 years)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Incyte Corporation
• Investigators: Study Director: Rodica Morariu-Zamfir, Incyte Corporation

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Jagasia M, Zeiser R, Arbushites M, Delaite P, Gadbaw B, Bubnoff NV. Ruxolitinib for the treatment of patients with steroid-refractory GVHD: an introduction to the REACH trials. Immunotherapy. 2018 Apr;10(5):391-402. doi: 10.2217/imt-2017-0156. Epub 2018 Jan 10.
• Le RQ, Wang X, Zhang H, Li H, Przepiorka D, Vallejo J, Leong R, Ma L, Goldberg KB, Pazdur R, Theoret MR, De Claro A. FDA Approval Summary: Ruxolitinib for Treatment of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease after Failure of One or Two Lines of Systemic Therapy. Oncologist. 2022 Jun 8;27(6):493-500. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyac042.
• Zeiser R, Polverelli N, Ram R, Hashmi SK, Chakraverty R, Middeke JM, Musso M, Giebel S, Uzay A, Langmuir P, Hollaender N, Gowda M, Stefanelli T, Lee SJ, Teshima T, Locatelli F; REACH3 Investigators. Ruxolitinib for Glucocorticoid-Refractory Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease. N Engl J Med. 2021 Jul 15;385(3):228-238. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2033122.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 29, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 8, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): December 15, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 4, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 7, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): April 13, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 18, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 17, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: ruxolitinib; Janus kinase inhibitor; steroid-refractory; Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD); Chronic GvHD (cGvHD)
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Immune System Diseases; Graft vs Host Disease; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Anti-Infective Agents; Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors; Enzyme Inhibitors; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antirheumatic Agents; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Antimetabolites; Antineoplastic Agents; Immunosuppressive Agents; Immunologic Factors; Gastrointestinal Agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological; Dermatologic Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Antifungal Agents; Reproductive Control Agents; Antitubercular Agents; Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; Abortifacient Agents; Folic Acid Antagonists; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors; Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors; MTOR Inhibitors; Rituximab; Methotrexate; Imatinib Mesylate; Infliximab; Mycophenolic Acid; Everolimus; Sirolimus; Pentostatin
• Other Study ID Numbers: INCB 18424-365 (REACH3); CINC424D2301 (Other Identifier: Novartis Pharmaceuticals)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No