Acceleron Announces New Luspatercept Phase 2 Results At The 20th EHA Congress

(RTTNews) - Acceleron Pharma Inc. (XLRN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, Friday announced that new preliminary results from the ongoing phase 2 clinical trials of luspatercept in patients with lower risk myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS and in patients with beta-thalassemia were highlighted in oral presentations at the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association in Vienna, Austria.

Luspatercept is a modified activin receptor type IIB fusion protein. It acts as a ligand trap for members in the Transforming Growth Factor-Beta superfamily involved in the late stages of erythropoiesis or red blood cell production. Luspatercept regulates late-stage erythrocyte precursor cell differentiation and maturation.

Data from the 12-month extension study of low and intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes patients were presented for the first time. The preliminary results show encouraging longer-term, durable responses with luspatercept.

In the Beta-Thalassemia Phase 2 Study, data were presented for both non-transfusion dependent and transfusion dependent beta-thalassemia patients.

In non-transfusion dependent patients who received luspatercept 0.8-1.25 mg/kg, 38 percent had a mean hemoglobin increase = 1.5 g/dL maintained for at least 9 weeks.

For transfusion dependent patients, all ten evaluable patients who received luspatercept 0.6-1.25 mg/kg had more than a 40 percent reduction in transfusion burden.

Acceleron and its collaboration partner, Celgene Corp., are jointly developing luspatercept.