Ilginatinib maleate (NS-018 maleate) is a highly active JAK2 inhibitor, with an IC ₅₀ of 0.72 nM, 46-, 54-, and 31-fold selectivity for JAK2 over JAK1 (IC ₅₀ , 33 nM), JAK3 (IC ₅₀ , 39 nM), and Tyk2 (IC ₅₀ , 22 nM). Ilginatinib maleate also inhibits Src-family kinases, especially SRC and FYN, and weakly inhibits ABL and FLT3 with 45- and 90-fold selectivity for JAK2, respectively. Ilginatinib maleate shows potent inhibitory activity against cell lines JAK2V617F or MPLW515L mutations or the TEL-JAK2 fusion gene (expressing a constitutively activated JAK2) with IC ₅₀ of 11-120?nM, but has only minimal cytotoxicity against most other hematopoietic cell lines that have no constitutively activated JAK2.
Ilginatinib maleate (0.5 μM) preferentially suppresses colony-forming unitgranulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) formation from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)-derived bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs). Ilginatinib maleate (1 μM) suppresses the phosphorylation of STAT3 (the downstream kinase of JAK2) in CFU-GM-forming cells from MDS patients.

Ilginatinib maleate (NS-018 maleate) (12.5, 25, 50, 100 mg/kg, p.o.) potently prolongs the survival of mice and reduces splenomegaly in a mouse Ba/F3-JAK2V617F disease model.
Ilginatinib maleate (25, 50 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduces leukocytosis, hepatosplenomegaly and extramedullary hematopoiesis, improves nutritional status, and prolongs survival in JAK2V617F transgenic mice.