Novartis, in alliance with Incyte, has announced plans to evaluate Jakavi (ruxolitinib) in a Phase III clinical trial to treat cytokine storm in patients with severe Covid-19 pneumonia.
Cytokine storm is a severe immune overreaction to infection and leads to deadly respiratory complications in Covid-19 patients.
Jakavi is an oral, JAK 1 and JAK 2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It is approved in Europe to treat adults with polycythemia vera (PV) and symptoms caused by primary myelofibrosis (MF), post-polycythemia vera MF, or post-essential thrombocythemia MF.
Novartis licensed Jakavi from Incyte in 2009; the Swiss pharma giant has rights to develop and commercialise the drug in certain indications outside the US.