Geron Reports Four Imetelstat Data Presentations at Virtual Edition of the European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Congress

• For the IMerge Phase 2 clinical trial, meaningful and durable transfusion independence reported with a new 1-year TI rate, indicating potential disease-modifying activity of imetelstat treatment
  
• For the IMbark Phase 2 clinical trial, the analyses correlate the potential improvement in overall survival from imetelstat treatment with other clinical benefits observed in the trial, such as fibrosis improvement, as well as symptom and spleen response
• Data provide further support of ongoing and planned Phase 3 clinical trials of imetelstat

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN), a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company, today announced that an oral presentation and three poster presentations of new clinical data and analyses related to imetelstat, the Company’s first-in-class telomerase inhibitor, are now available on Geron’s website as well as to participants of the Virtual Edition of the 25th Annual EHA Annual Congress.   

Updated Efficacy and Safety Data from IMerge Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Lower Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)

“The EHA presentation reports encouraging continued durability data from the IMerge Phase 2 clinical trial, including a median duration of 8-week transfusion independence of 20 months, which is the longest duration we have reported to date in this trial, and that 29% of patients were transfusion free for more than one year,” said Aleksandra Rizo, M.D., Ph.D., Geron’s Chief Medical Officer. “We expect these data to drive further interest of investigators, which will promote enrollment for the ongoing IMerge Phase 3 clinical trial in lower risk MDS.”   

Title: Treatment with Imetelstat Provides Durable Transfusion Independence (TI) in Heavily Transfused Non-del(5q) Lower Risk MDS (LR-MDS) Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) to Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (ESAs) (Abstract #S183)

The oral presentation reports long-term efficacy and safety data from 38 patients in the IMerge Phase 2 clinical trial, based on a February 4, 2020 cut-off date and a median follow-up of 24 months. IMerge is a two-part Phase 2/3 clinical trial evaluating imetelstat in transfusion dependent patients with Low or Intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes (lower risk MDS), who are relapsed after or refractory to prior treatment with ESAs. The first part of IMerge was designed as a Phase 2, open label, single arm study to assess the efficacy and safety of imetelstat. The primary efficacy endpoint is 8-week TI rate, which is defined as the proportion of patients achieving red blood cell transfusion independence during any consecutive eight weeks since entry into the trial. Secondary endpoints include rate of hematologic improvement-erythroid (HI-E) and duration of TI. Several patients remain on treatment in the IMerge Phase 2 clinical trial.