Valeria Santini, MD, on Imetelstat for Lower-Risk MDS: Long-Term Outcomes From the IMerge Trial
ASH 2025
The telomerase inhibitor imetelstat was approved for the treatment of certain patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) based on the results of the phase III IMerge trial. Valeria Santini, MD, of the University of Florence, provides updates on secondary endpoints, including overall and progression-free survival; progression to acute myeloid leukemia; safety; and long-term outcomes by subgroups of interest in IMerge, as well as ad hoc outcomes, including overall survival by response (Abstract 2074).
The ASCO Post Staff
Shahzad Raza, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, presents updated phase II results of the RedirecTT-1 trial, focusing on the efficacy and safety of talquetamab combined with teclistamab in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and extramedullary disease (Abstract 698). The study also received simultaneous publication in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The ASCO Post Staff
Krina Patel, MD, MSc, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, provides updated results from the fully enrolled, ongoing iMMagine-1 phase II registrational trial of anitocabtagene autoleucel, an autologous anti-BCMA CAR T-cell therapy with a novel D-domain binder. The agent is under development for patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (Abstract 256).
The ASCO Post Staff
Brian Ball, MD, of City of Hope, presents updated results from the phase I/II BEXMAB study. They showed that the doublet had encouraging activity in patients with TP53-mutant, higher-risk MDS; translational data support the combination regimen’s potential for altering immune dysregulation in this subtype (Abstract 236).
The ASCO Post Staff
Andrew Portuguese, MD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, discusses findings from a multicenter analysis from the U.S. Multiple Myeloma Immunotherapy Consortium looking at the real-world safety and efficacy of the BCMA-CD3 bispecific antibody elranatamab (Abstract 136).
The ASCO Post Staff
Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, reviews data from three abstracts in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) presented at this year’s meeting: outcomes from the phase III VERONA trial of venetoclax with azacitidine vs placebo with azacitidine in patients with treatment-naive intermediate- and higher-risk MDS (Abstract 235); safety and efficacy results from a phase Ib trial of a dual IRAK1/4 inhibitor in patients with relapsed/refractory lower-risk MDS (Abstract 489); and results from the phase II ASTX030-01 trial, showing pharmacokinetic, efficacy, and safety data of oral ASTX030 in patients with MDS (Abstract 491).
