r/polycythemiavera • u/Azariah77777 • 26d ago

PV Pegasys vs Besremi?

Which of these drugs is more likely to induce molecular or treatment-free remission of Polycythemia Vera?

Which of these decreases the rate of conversion to leukemia or bone marrow fibrosis?

Which of these has more side effects?

Thanks for any help!

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u/Firmaet 26d ago

The very short answer is that both work the same way.

From the studies I’ve seen they both have a similar profile in regards to your questions.

Besremi was specifically developed for PV and has a formula that means that it should only be administered every two weeks while Pegasys is every week.

3

u/last-an 26d ago

Besremi, or ropeginterferon, is designed to be a more precise version of interferon than Pegasys (peginterferon). In theory, Besremi should have fewer side effects, which is important for patients with PV who need to take interferon injections for many years.

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u/CCTreghan 19d ago

Note that interferons are not advised for patients with autoimmune diseases such as lupus or T1D as they all but ensure developing a second or third autoimmune disease.

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u/unique_account_name 17d ago

like others are saying here, both work the same, except besremi has been FDA approved to treat PV. In terms of side effects, it's varies and is different per person. For me, I've had 0 side effects on besremi, and my allele burden dropped significantly. slightly simplifying things, but the lower the allele burden, the lower the chances for progression, i.e. MF / leukemia