Geron Announces IMerge Phase 3 Presentations at ASH Highlighting Significant Durability of Transfusion Independence and Breadth of Effect Across MDS Subgroups with Imetelstat in Lower Risk MDS - Seite 3

“Improvement of Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Heavily Pretreated Patients With Lower-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes and High Transfusion Burden Treated With Imetelstat on the IMerge Phase 3 Trial”

This abstract published in Blood describes exploratory results from patient-reported outcomes (PROs) questionnaires used in IMerge Phase 3. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Anemia (FACT-An; 55 items) and Quality of Life in Myelodysplasia Scale (QUALMS; 38 items) were the main questionnaires used. Findings consistently showed that imetelstat-treated patients reported improved fatigue, dyspnea, and QUALMS composite scores (total and physical burden) compared to those on placebo. Further, patients treated with imetelstat did not experience greater deterioration in systemic symptoms, pain, physical function or bleeding than those on placebo. These data indicate that, in addition to improving RBC transfusion burden in patients with LR MDS, imetelstat targets multiple core symptoms of LR MDS simultaneously, also improving those respective PROs.

“Characterization and Management of Cytopenias after Imetelstat Treatment in the IMerge Phase 3 Trial of Patients with Lower-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes (LR-MDS)”

This abstract published in Blood describes treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) of grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia and neutropenia, which were more prevalent in cycles 1-3 (68.6% and 62.7% respectively), and their frequency decreased over time. In the imetelstat group, cytopenias were managed with protocol-specified treatment delays and dose adjustments. Dose reductions due to neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 33.1% and 22.9% of patients, respectively. Thrombocytopenia and neutropenia were also managed by cycle delays in 46.6% and 50.8% of patients, by platelet transfusions in 17.8% of patients, and by concomitant therapy with growth factor support (mostly during cycles 2-4) in 34.7% of patients. Among 47 patients who achieved the primary endpoint of 8-week RBC-TI with imetelstat, 72.3% and 59.6% of patients had grade 3 or4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, respectively. This analysis shows that these Grade 3or 4 thrombocytopenia and neutropenia were generally transient, reversible and manageable through treatment delays and dose adjustments, and suggests that these TEAEs do not affect the efficacy of imetelstat.