European Commission expands approval of Reblozyl (luspatercept) to include first-line treatment of transfusion-dependent anemia in adults with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.-BMS

“With this approval for Reblozyl as a first-line treatment for anemia in adults with lower-risk MDS, more patients in the EU will have the potential to become transfusion independent for longer periods of time compared to current options available,” said Monica Shaw, M.D., senior vice president and head of European Markets, Bristol Myers Squibb. “This milestone underscores our ongoing commitment to developing new options for patients with disease-related anemia.”

The approval is based on the pivotal Phase III COMMANDS study, in which Reblozyl demonstrated superior efficacy compared to epoetin alfa, an erythropoiesis stimulating agent, in the study’s primary endpoint of concurrent red blood cell transfusion independence and hemoglobin increase. Safety results were consistent with previous MDS studies and were in line with expected symptoms in this patient population. Reblozyl is also approved in the United States and Japan for the first-line treatment of anemia associated with lower-risk MDS.

“In the treatment of lower-risk MDS, few patients experience a lasting response to erythroid stimulating agents, leaving a critical need for more effective treatment options to address the burden of their anemia,” said Matteo Giovanni Della Porta, M.D., study investigator and head of Leukemia Unit at Humanitas Cancer Center in Milan, Italy. “Results from the COMMANDS study underscore the clinical value of Reblozyl as an initial treatment for anemia in patients with low- to intermediate-risk MDS, and this approval represents a significant milestone towards improving treatment practice and offering better outcomes for patients.”