Bristol Myers' drug fails main goal in late-stage trial for cancer-related anemia
The study did not achieve statistically significant results in helping patients become free from red blood cell transfusions for any 12-week period during the first 24 weeks of treatment.
However, more patients receiving Reblozyl saw a reduction in the number of transfusions needed and an increase in hemoglobin levels, a key measure of anemia, the company said. The side effects seen in the trial were similar to those previously reported for Reblozyl.
Reblozyl is already approved for certain types of anemia related to other blood disorders, including myelodysplastic syndromes and beta thalassemia. Bristol Myers recorded $1.77 billion in global sales of Reblozyl in 2024.
In the late-stage trial, the drug was being tested to treat anemia in myelofibrosis patients with a Janus kinase inhibitor drug, a class of medicines that works by slowing down the immune system.
Myelofibrosis is a type of cancer, in which the bone marrow becomes scarred and doesn't produce enough healthy blood cells.
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