What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 64 patients with thalassemia. The study was sponsored by Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ USA and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
81% of patients needing regular transfusions needed at least 20% fewer after treatment.
Blood · 2019 · NCT01749540
These findings — that needed at least 20% fewer blood transfusions — were published in the Blood and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 64 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with thalassemia, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This was an early-stage study. Since then, luspatercept (sold as Reblozyl) has been FDA-approved for beta-thalassemia patients who need regular transfusions. If you have beta-thalassemia, ask your doctor whether this treatment might be right for you.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open thalassemia trials
Sickle Cell Disease and the Genomic and Gene Therapy Needs of Stakeholders
The primary objectives of this prospective mixed-method interview study are to use semi-structured interviews in parents of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients to describe parental attitudes of research involving genomic sequencing, including concerns about participation and expectations from researchers and second, to use surveys to quantitatively measure genetic/genomic knowledge, trust in health care provider, and literacy/numeracy ability in parents of children with SCD and adolescents with SCD. Secondary objectives are development of a web-based tool about treatment options for SCD that fosters patient-clinician communication and promotes shared decision-making. The web-based tool will undergo usability and pilot testing to ensure it is accessible to families and provide data about strategies for integrating into clinical conversations about treatment options. Investigators will use the data generated to reduce the risk of misunderstanding about DNA and genetic research and build strong relationships between SCD families and researchers in the future. The project will design educational information and study materials to help parents of children with SCD understand important details about genomic medicine in SCD care.
A Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of LentiRed Drug Product in Transfusion-dependent β-Thalassemia [TDT]
This is a single-arm, open label, single-dose study in subjects with transfusion dependent β-thalassaemia. The study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of autologous CD34+ Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells that was transduced with LentiRed Lentivrial vector.