Incyte ditches phase 1-stage JAK inhibitor to pursue next-gen options

Biotech Incyte ditches phase 1-stage JAK inhibitor to pursue next-gen options By Marissa Russo Jul 28, 2026 10:32am Incyte JAK inhibitor Biotech Incyte has ditched a JAK2 inhibitor in phase 1 development for a rare blood cancer in favor of “next-generation” replacements. The biopharma had been evaluating the JAK2V617F inhibitor, dubbed INCB160058, in a phase 1 study of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, a group of rare blood cancers where the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. However, the company disclosed in its second-quarter earnings release this morning that it has now scrapped the drug “following a comprehensive review of available data.” Instead, Incyte has decided to “prioritize its next-generation JAK2V617F-targeted pipeline.” On this morning's earnings call, analysts hinted that the decision was not surprising due to the concerns surrounding the drug's bioavailability and target coverage. This was acknowledged by Incyte's head of R&D Pablo Cagnoni, M.D. “We started to look at the emerging data, the pharmacokinetics, as well as the safety and efficacy,” Cagnoni said on the call. “When we look at that in the context of other programs that we have in-house and what we have been advancing preclinical over the last couple of years … it just made no sense to continue to develop INCB160058.” An Incyte spokesperson told Fierce that JAK2V617F “remains an important therapeutic target, and we remain committed to advancing the most promising opportunities in our next-generation JAK2V617F pipeline.” “We believe these programs offer a clearer path to realizing the potential of selective JAK2V617F targeting and expect to share preclinical data later this year,” they added. Incyte doesn't currently list any JAK2V617F drugs in its pipeline, but the company did secure the exclusive option to licence Prelude Therapeutics' JAK2V617F inhibitor program in a $60 million upfront deal last year. That deal came a month after Incyte scrapped its phase 2-stage BET inhibitor against a backdrop of safety concerns about the modality. Other drugs in their oncology portfolio include Zynyz, a PD-1 inhibitor, approved for squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma, and Pemazyre, which is approved for cholangiocarcinoma. Just last month, the company struck a $1.2 billion deal to acquire Vega Therapeutics to support Incyte's pipeline through the loss of patent protection for Jakafi in 2028. Another of Incyte’s JAK inhibitors, povorcitinib, recently showed promising phase 3 data in adults with nonsegmental vitiligo, although it didn’t quite live up to AbbVie’s Rinvoq. Incyte JAK inhibitor Biotech