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MF is a life-threatening myeloproliferative neoplasm. The JAKi ruxolitinib and fedratinib are the only FDA approved treatment options for MF. Despite benefits reported with ruxolitinib in the front-line setting, a high proportion of patients (pts) discontinue treatment (Abdelrahman 2015), and the median overall survival (OS) is 13-16 months (Kuykendall 2018; Newberry 2017; Schain 2019; Palandri 2019; Mcnamara 2019), highlighting a great unmet need for pts non-responsive to a JAKi treatment. Imetelstat, a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor, has shown meaningful clinical improvement in IMbark, a Phase 2 study in pts with Int-2 or high-risk MF who have relapsed after or are refractory to JAKi (Mascarenhas EHA 2020, ASH 2020). Treatment with imetelstat 9.4 mg/kg resulted in 32.2% symptom response (total symptom score [TSS] reduction ≥50%) at Week 24 and median OS of 28.1 months with overall study follow up of 42 months. Dose-dependent inhibition of telomerase with imetelstat resulted in on-target activity that correlated with clinical benefits; dose-dependent reduction in variant allele frequency of MF driver mutations indicated targeting of the underlying malignant clone. The Phase 2 results support continued study of imetelstat 9.4 mg/kg in a Phase 3 randomized controlled study. Study MYF3001 (IMpactMF; NCT04576156) is an open label, randomized (2:1), multicenter, Phase 3 study of imetelstat compared with BAT in ~320 pts with Int-2 or high-risk MF refractory to JAKi treatment. Pts will be randomized to receive imetelstat 9.4 mg/kg IV every 21 days or investigator selected BAT (including hydroxyurea, thalidomide, interferon, danazol, hypomethylating agents, chemotherapy, or other non-JAKi containing therapy as appropriate). Eligible pts will be stratified based on a) Int-2 or high-risk per Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System; b) platelet count at entry (platelets ≥ 75 and < 150 x 10 9/L vs ≥ 150 x 10 9/L). Pts who meet progressive disease criteria and discontinue BAT may be eligible to crossover to imetelstat. The primary endpoint is OS, and one interim analysis is planned when >70% of death events have occurred. Secondary endpoints include symptom and spleen response rates at Week 24, progression-free survival, clinical response assessment per modified 2013 International Working Group - Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Research and Treatment criteria, time to and duration of response, reduction in degree of bone marrow fibrosis, safety, pharmacokinetics, and patient-reported outcomes. Biomarkers and mutation analyses will be performed to evaluate the impact of imetelstat on reduction/depletion of malignant clones. Approximately 180 sites are planned in North and South America, Europe, Middle East, Australia, and Asia. The study is open for enrollment. Disclosures Mascarenhas: Promedior: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genentech/Roche: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; PharmaEssentia: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Constellation: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kartos: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Prelude: Consultancy; Geron: Consultancy, Research Funding; Geron: Consultancy; Galecto: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; CTI Biopharm: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Forbius: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merus: Research Funding. Harrison: Gilead Sciences: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sierra Oncology: Honoraria; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Shire: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Incyte Corporation: Speakers Bureau; AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Galacteo: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Geron: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Promedior: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Keros: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; CTI BioPharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Kiladjian: Taiho Oncology, Inc.: Research Funding; AOP Orphan: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte Corporation: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; PharmaEssentia: Other: Personal fees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Komrokji: BMSCelgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Geron: Consultancy; Taiho Oncology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; PharmaEssentia: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Acceleron: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Koschmieder: Abbvie: Other: Travel support; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: (e.g. travel support); Shire: Honoraria, Other; CTI: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other; Alexion: Other: Travel support; AOP Pharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: (e.g. travel support), Research Funding; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel support; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: (e.g. travel support); Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: (e.g. travel support); Geron: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: (e.g. travel support), Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Image Biosciences: Other: Travel support; Baxalta: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: (e.g. travel support), Research Funding; Ariad: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: (e.g. travel support); Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: (e.g. travel support); Karthos: Other: Travel support. Vannucchi: AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Berry: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Sherman: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Dougherty: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Sun: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Huang: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wan: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Feller: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Rizo: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Verstovsek: Incyte Corporation: Consultancy, Research Funding; Protagonist Therapeutics: Research Funding; CTI BioPharma: Research Funding; NS Pharma: Research Funding; Ital Pharma: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; PharmaEssentia: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Blueprint Medicines Corp: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Research Funding; Constellation: Consultancy; Pragmatist: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Imetelstat, a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor, is undergoing clinical development but is not approved for treatment of MF

Introduction: Imetelstat is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor that targets cells with high telomerase activity and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression, characteristics observed in MDS patients (pts) across all disease stages. IMerge (MDS3001, NCT02598661) is a Phase 2/3 global study of imetelstat for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion dependent (TD) pts with non-del 5q LR-MDS ESA-R/R, who have limited treatment options. The results from the Phase 2 part indicated that imetelstat achieved durable transfusion independence (TI) with a manageable safety profile. Among 38 pts with median follow-up of 24 months, ≥8-week (w), ≥24-w, ≥1-year (y) TI rates were 42%, 32% and 29%, respectively (Steensma JCO 2020, Platzbecker ASH 2020). Aims: To assess the correlation between imetelstat's on-target activity with clinical benefits and safety data as of 10-May 2021 in the Phase 2 part of IMerge. Methods: Peripheral blood samples pre and after 1 and 2 cycles of imetelstat administration were collected to analyze hTERT level by Taqman RT-PCR assay. ≥50% hTERT reduction by imetelstat was considered optimal pharmacodynamic (PD) effect. Correlation analyses between the optimal PD and efficacy, including TI rates ≥8-w, ≥24-w, and ≥1-y, duration of the longest TI, and OS, as well as hematological and liver function lab parameters were performed. Results: hTERT analyses on 35/38 pts with matched pre- and post-1 to 2 cycles of treatment samples available demonstrated on-target activity/optimal PD effect of imetelstat in 54.3% (19/35) of pts. Pts who achieved optimal PD had significantly higher rates of TI compared to pts who did not achieve optimal PD: 63.2% (12/19) vs 25% (4/16) had ≥8-w TI (p=0.0411); 57.9% (11/19) vs 12.5% (2/16) had ≥24-w TI (p=0.0125); and 52.6% (10/19) vs 6.3% (1/16) had ≥1-y TI (p=0.0125) (Fig A). Pts who achieved optimal PD effect had a greater reduction in transfusions (both absolute change in transfusion units and % of change in transfusion burden) in the best 8-week interval compared to pts who did not. In addition, pts who achieved optimal PD had a significantly longer median TI duration (68.4 w, 95% CI 4.9, 92.4) compared to those who did not (5.5 w, 95% CI 2.3, 6.6) with a hazard ratio of 0.364 (95% CI 0.167, 0.794, log-rank p value=0.0087, Fig B). Furthermore, median OS was 57.0 months (95% CI 34.6, -) in pts who achieved optimal PD vs 40.7 months (95% CI 26.9, -) in pts who did not, and the 4-year OS rate was 58.4% vs 31.0%, respectively, although not statistically significant. Pts who achieved optimal PD also had lower rates of Grade 3+neutropenia (52.6%), thrombocytopenia (57.9%), or liver function elevations (5.3%) compared to pts who did not achieve optimal PD (68.8%, 68.8% and 18.8%, respectively), although the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Optimal PD effect of imetelstat treatment was demonstrated by ≥50% hTERT reduction. A significant correlation was observed between optimal PD effect of imetelstat and durable TI and improved 4-year OS rate, effectively linking imetelstat activity to clinical efficacy. Additionally, pts who achieved an optimal PD effect by imetelstat treatment did not have higher rates of cytopenias or liver enzyme elevations compared to pts without optimal PD effect. Enrollment is ongoing for the Phase 3 part of IMerge, a randomized (2:1) double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to compare efficacy of imetelstat vs. placebo. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Santini: Menarini: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astex: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Geron: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS/Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Fenaux: JAZZ: Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene/BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Syros Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Raza: Celgene Inc: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Genoptix: Speakers Bureau; Kura Oncology: Research Funding; Janssen R&D: Research Funding; Syros Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Onconova Therapeutics: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Germing: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Other: advisory activity, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria. Font: CELGENE-BMS: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, accomodations, expenses; GILEAD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Menarini: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, accommodations, expenses, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Other: Travel, accomodations, expenses. Diez-Campelo: BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Patnaik: Kura Oncology: Research Funding; Stemline Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Stemline Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Sherman: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Berry: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Feller: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Dougherty: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Sun: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wan: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Rizo: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Huang: Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Platzbecker: Takeda: Honoraria; AbbVie: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Geron: Honoraria; Celgene/BMS: Honoraria. OffLabel Disclosure: Imetelstat, a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor, is under clinical development but not approved for treatment of MDS

Background: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a life-threatening myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by splenomegaly and debilitating symptoms, such as fatigue, pruritus, night sweats, fever, bone pain, and weight loss that impact quality of life (QoL). Imetelstat, a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor, demonstrated clinical benefits in terms of symptom response and potential improvement in overall survival in a pilot study in MF patients (pts) (Tefferi et al, NEJM 2015) and in IMbark, a Phase 2 study in MF pts relapsed or refractory (R/R) to a Janus associated kinase (JAK) inhibitor (Mascarenhas et al, ASH 2018 #685). Aims: We assessed the effects of imetelstat on MF symptom burden and QoL in IMbark, and the correlations of MF-related symptoms measured by modified Myelofibrosis Symptom Assessment Form (MFSAF) 2.0 and other patient-reported outcome (PRO) endpoints. Methods: IMbark (MYF2001; NCT02426086) is a two-dose, randomized, single-blinded, Phase 2 study of imetelstat in R/R intermediate-2/high-risk MF pts, who received imetelstat 9.4 mg/kg or 4.7 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks. Symptom response, one of the co-primary endpoints, was defined as ≥50% reduction in total symptom score (TSS) from baseline to Week 24 as measured by the modified MFSAF 2.0 e-diary. The TSS was calculated as the 7-day average of daily TSS, which is the summation of 6 individual symptom scores (night sweats, itchiness, abdominal discomfort, pain under ribs on left side, early satiety, bone or muscle pain). Correlation of TSS with other PROs was explored: European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), Brief Pain Inventory (BP-I), and Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC). Results: All 107 pts enrolled in IMbark were symptomatic, with baseline mean TSS scores of 25.7 in the 9.4 mg/kg arm (N=59) and 24.6 in the 4.7 mg/kg arm (N=48), indicating a high symptom burden. Pts in both arms had ≥96.5% mean compliance rates with completion of the e-diary. Treatment with imetelstat demonstrated a statistically significant dose-related improvement in TSS symptom response rate at Week 24 for 9.4 mg/kg vs 4.7 mg/kg (32.1% vs 6.3%, p=0.001) and at any time (52.5% vs 27.1%, p=0.010). A higher proportion of pts in the 9.4 mg/kg arm than in the 4.7 mg/kg arm achieved ≥50% reduction in 5 individual symptoms, including night sweats, itchiness, abdominal pressure, pain under left ribs, and early satiety. Based on EORTC QLQ-C30, improvements at Week 24 relative to baseline were seen in the imetelstat 9.4 mg/kg arm for global health status, all 5 function subscales, and all 3 symptoms. Notably for fatigue (a common MF symptom which was not measured in MFSAF v2.0), pts in the 9.4 mg/kg arm had improvement at Week 24 relative to baseline, compared to the pts in the 4.7 mg/kg arm (LS means -13.3 vs -3.1, p=0.042). The TSS symptom responses were shown to correlate with other PROs. Compared to pts in the 4.7 mg/kg arm, TSS symptom responders in the 9.4 mg/kg arm achieved significantly greater improvements in the global health status (p=0.004), fatigue (p=0.009), pain (p=0.033), and most of the functional scales in EORTC QLQ-C30. Pain scores per the modified MFSAF v2.0 correlated with the pain scores in EORTC QLQ-C30 and BP-I (correlation coefficients 0.5-0.6). More than 90% of TSS symptom responders in the 9.4 mg/kg arm also characterized their condition as having had either "very much improvement" (36.4%) or "somewhat improvement" (54.6%) in PGIC. Conclusion: These data show a dose-related, clinically meaningful improvement in overall and individual MF symptoms as measured by MFSAF 2.0 with imetelstat treatment in pts who are JAK inhibitor R/R. TSS symptom responders treated with imetelstat 9.4 mg/kg also had improvement in QoL as measured by EORTC QLQ-C30. The data further support the robustness of overall and individual symptom improvement in pts with MF as evidenced by the correlation of modified MFSAF v2.0 with other PROs such as EORTC QLQ-C30, PGIC, and BP-I. Disclosures Mascarenhas: Incyte, Kartos, Roche, Promedior, Merck, Merus, Arog, CTI Biopharma, Janssen, and PharmaEssentia: Other: Research funding (institution); Celgene, Prelude, Galecto, Promedior, Geron, Constellation, and Incyte: Consultancy. Komrokji:Geron: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Acceleron: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Incyte: Honoraria; JAZZ: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Honoraria; Agios: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Cavo:Jannsen, BMS, Celgene, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Takeda, Amgen, Oncopeptides, AbbVie, Karyopharm, Adaptive: Consultancy, Honoraria. Niederwieser:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Speakers Bureau; Cellectis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Daiichi: Research Funding. Reiter:Gilead: Other: travel support ; Incyte: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; AOP: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Celgene,: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Abbvie: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Deciphera: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Blueprint: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel support , Research Funding. Scott:Agios, BMS: Honoraria; BMS, Novartis: Research Funding; Alexion, Incyte, Novartis, Regeneron: Consultancy. Baer:AbbVie: Other: Institutional research funding; Astellas: Other: Institutional research funding; Forma: Other: Institutional research funding; Incyte: Other: Institutional research funding; Kite: Other: Institutional research funding; Oscotec: Other: Institutional research funding; Takeda: Other: Institutional research funding. Hoffman:Dompe: Research Funding; Protagonist: Consultancy; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Forbius: Consultancy. Odenike:AbbVie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astex Pharmaceuticals, NS Pharma, Gilead Sciences, Janssen Oncology, Oncotherapy, Agios, CTI/Baxalta, Aprea: Other: Institutional research funding; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Incyte: Other: Institutional research funding; Impact Biomedicines: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Sherman:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Dougherty:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Feller:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company. Huang:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Rizo:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Sun:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wan:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Vannucchi:AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene/BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Blueprint: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Background: Imetelstat is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor currently in clinical development for hematologic myeloid malignancies. IMbark (MYF2001; NCT02426086) was a 2-dose (9.4 mg/kg or 4.7 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks), randomized Phase 2 study of imetelstat in intermediate-2/high-risk myelofibrosis (MF) relapsed or refractory to prior Janus kinase inhibitor treatment. Comparing the 9.4 mg/kg arm to the 4.7 mg/kg arm, the rate of symptom response (total symptom score [TSS] reduction ≥50%) at Week 24 was 32.2% and 6.3%, respectively (Mascarenhas et al, ASH 2018 #685), and median overall survival (OS) was 28.1 months (mos) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.8, 31.6) for the 9.4 mg/kg arm and 19.9 mos for the 4.7 mg/kg arm (95% CI: 17.1, 33.9) with an overall study follow up of 42 mos (Mascarenhas et al, EHA 2020, EP1107). Dose-dependent on-target pharmacodynamic (PD) activity of imetelstat was observed and it correlated with clinical responses and longer OS (Mascarenhas et al, EHA 2020 EP1098). Here we report the results of imetelstat exposure-response analyses from IMbark to further evaluate the benefit/risk profile and justify 9.4 mg/kg every 21 days as the optimal dosing regimen for the planned Phase 3 study of imetelstat in refractory MF. Methods: The average plasma concentration (Cavg) of imetelstat was used to define the exposure. The Cavg values of 107 patients (pts) were grouped into 4 quartiles (Q1-4) representing different levels of imetelstat exposure regardless of the protocol-specified dose arm assignment. Optimal PD effect of imetelstat was defined as ≥50% reduction in telomerase activity or human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) from baseline. The exposure-response relationships between exposure quartiles and PD effect, symptom response, OS, and laboratory safety parameters were assessed. Results: The association between the 4 exposure quartiles and dose levels showed that 89% of pts in Q1 (the lowest exposure quartile) were treated with 4.7 mg/kg, while 96% of pts in Q4 (the highest exposure quartile) were treated with 9.4 mg/kg. The pts in the 4.7 mg/kg arm who had higher exposure in Q3 and Q4 were mainly those with dose escalation to 9.4 mg/kg, and pts in the 9.4 mg/kg arm who had lower exposure in Q1-Q2 were mainly those with dose delay, reduction, or interruption. 51.9% of pts in Q1, 63% in Q2 (vs Q1, p=0.5826), 77.8% in Q3 (vs Q1, p=0.0861), and 80% in Q4 (vs Q1, p=0.0439) achieved the optimal PD effect, respectively, indicating exposure-dependent on-target activity of imetelstat. The symptom response rate for pts in exposure quartile Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 was 7.4%, 18.5% (vs Q1, p=0.4203), 18.5% (vs Q1, p=0.4203), and 38.5% (vs Q1, p=0.0091), respectively. Median OS was 18.9 mos in Q1, 23.6 mos in Q2 (hazard ratio [HR]=0.663; 95% CI: 0.350, 1.259; log-rank p=0.2097), 24.6 mos in Q3 (HR=0.656; 95% CI 0.348, 1.236; p=0.1920) and 30.6 mos in Q4 (HR=0.467; 95% CI: 0.236, 0.925; p=0.0260), respectively. The exposure-response analyses showed that pts in the highest exposure quartile were more likely to have better clinical outcome. The relationship between exposure quartiles and hematological and liver function safety parameters was assessed. There were no significant differences between each imetelstat exposure quartile group on the change from baseline in hemoglobin concentration, platelet count, and neutrophil counts; or in the rate of Grade 3+ neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevations in alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, and bilirubin. Pts with higher imetelstat exposure had similar rates of Grade 3+ adverse events as pts with lower exposure, suggesting that the lower dose does not improve safety. Conclusions: In summary, the exposure-response analysis results indicated 9.4 mg/kg and 4.7 mg/kg covered the therapeutic window of imetelstat in MF pts. Imetelstat 9.4 mg/kg every 21 days treatment yielded higher exposure, leading to higher rate of pts achieving the optimal PD effect, consistently better clinical benefits, such as higher symptom response and significantly longer median OS, and had a similar safety profile as 4.7 mg/kg with regard to hematologic and liver function parameters. This exposure-response analysis of benefit/risk profile supports 9.4 mg/kg every 21 days as the optimal dosing regimen for the planned imetelstat Phase 3 study in refractory MF. Disclosures Mascarenhas: Celgene, Prelude, Galecto, Promedior, Geron, Constellation, and Incyte: Consultancy; Incyte, Kartos, Roche, Promedior, Merck, Merus, Arog, CTI Biopharma, Janssen, and PharmaEssentia: Other: Research funding (institution). Komrokji:Acceleron: Honoraria; Agios: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Honoraria; JAZZ: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Geron: Honoraria. Cavo:Jannsen, BMS, Celgene, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Takeda, Amgen, Oncopeptides, AbbVie, Karyopharm, Adaptive: Consultancy, Honoraria. Niederwieser:Amgen: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Daiichi: Research Funding; Cellectis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Reiter:Gilead: Other: travel support ; Incyte: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; AOP: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Celgene,: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Abbvie: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Deciphera: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Blueprint: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel support , Research Funding. Scott:Agios, BMS: Honoraria; Alexion, Incyte, Novartis, Regeneron: Consultancy; BMS, Novartis: Research Funding. Baer:AbbVie: Other: Institutional research funding; Astellas: Other: Institutional research funding; Forma: Other: Institutional research funding; Incyte: Other: Institutional research funding; Kite: Other: Institutional research funding; Oscotec: Other: Institutional research funding; Takeda: Other: Institutional research funding. Hoffman:Protagonist: Consultancy; Dompe: Research Funding; Forbius: Consultancy; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Odenike:AbbVie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Impact Biomedicines: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Other: Institutional research funding; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Astex Pharmaceuticals, NS Pharma, Gilead Sciences, Janssen Oncology, Oncotherapy, Agios, CTI/Baxalta, Aprea: Other: Institutional research funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Sherman:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Dougherty:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Berry:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Feller:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company. Sun:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wan:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Rizo:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Huang:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

Background: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a life-threatening myeloproliferative neoplasm. Ruxolitinib, a Janus kinase 1 (JAK1)/Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) inhibitor and fedratinib, a JAK2/FLT3 inhibitor, are the only approved treatment options for MF. Despite the benefits reported with ruxolitinib in the front-line setting, a high proportion of patients discontinue treatment, the 1-, 2-, and 3-year discontinuation rates are 49%, 71%, and 86%, respectively (Abdelrahman et al, 2015). For patients who discontinue treatment with ruxolitinib, the median overall survival (OS) is dismal and ranges from 13 to 16 months (Kuykendall et al, 2018; Newberry et al, 2017; Schain et al, 2019; Palandri et al, 2019; Mcnamara et al, 2019). There remains a great unmet need for patients who are non-responsive to and have discontinued treatment with a JAK inhibitor. Imetelstat, a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor, has shown meaningful clinical improvement in symptom response and improved OS in IMbark, a Phase 2 study in patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk MF who have relapsed after or are refractory to JAK inhibitors (Mascarenhas et al, ASH 2018 #685; Mascarenhas et al, EHA 2020 #EP1107). Nineteen (32.2%) patients in the 9.4 mg/kg arm and 3 (6.3%) patients in the 4.7 mg/kg arm achieved symptom response (total symptom score [TSS] reduction ≥50%) at Week 24. As of clinical cutoff (7 February 2020), with an overall study follow up of 42 months, median OS was 28.1 months for the 9.4 mg/kg arm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.8, 31.6) and 19.9 months for the 4.7 mg/kg arm (95% CI: 17.1, 33.9). The improvement in OS for patients treated with 9.4mg/kg imetelstat was further supported by analyses of IMbark patients with closely matched real world controls (Kuykendall et al, EHA 2019 #PS1456). Taken together, these findings support continued study of imetelstat 9.4 mg/kg dose in a well-designed Phase 3 randomized controlled study in patients with refractory MF. Methods: Study MYF3001 is an open label, randomized (2:1), multicenter, Phase 3 study of imetelstat compared with best available therapy (BAT) in approximately 320 patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk MF (primary MF, post-essential thrombocythemia-MF, or post-polycythemia vera-MF) who are refractory to JAK inhibitor treatment. Approximately 214 patients will be randomized to Arm A to receive imetelstat, and approximately 106 patients will be randomized to Arm B to receive BAT. Eligible patients will be stratified based on: a) intermediate-2 or high-risk per Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (DIPSS); and b) platelet count at study entry (platelets ≥75 x 109/L and The primary endpoint of the study is OS. Secondary endpoints include symptom response rate at week 24, progression-free survival, spleen response rate at week 24, clinical response assessment per modified 2013 International Working Group - Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Research and Treatment (IWG MRT) criteria, time to and duration of response, reduction in the degree of bone marrow fibrosis, safety, pharmacokinetics, and patient-reported outcomes. One interim analysis based on OS is planned. Biomarkers relevant to the mechanism of action of imetelstat will be assessed to demonstrate target inhibition and their association with OS and clinical responses. Mutation analyses will be performed to evaluate the impact of imetelstat on reduction/depletion of malignant clones leading to disease modification. The study will be conducted at approximately 150 centers in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Middle East. Disclosures Mascarenhas: Incyte, Kartos, Roche, Promedior, Merck, Merus, Arog, CTI Biopharma, Janssen, and PharmaEssentia: Other: Research funding (institution); Celgene, Prelude, Galecto, Promedior, Geron, Constellation, and Incyte: Consultancy. Harrison:Promedior: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Gilead Sciences: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Sierra Oncology: Honoraria; Shire: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; CTI Biopharma Corp: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte Corporation: Speakers Bureau. Mesa:Promedior: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Samus Therapeutics: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; CTI BioPharma: Research Funding; LaJolla Pharmaceutical Company: Consultancy; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy. Komrokji:Incyte: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Acceleron: Honoraria; Geron: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; AbbVie: Honoraria; JAZZ: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Agios: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Koschmieder:Celgene/BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support, Research Funding; Geron Corporation: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support; Incyte/Ariad: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support; CTI Biopharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support; Bayer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support; AOP Pharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel support, Research Funding; Promedior: Other. Vannucchi:AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Celgene/BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Blueprint: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Berry:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Sherman:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Dougherty:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Sun:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Huang:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wan:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Feller:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company. Rizo:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Verstovsek:PharmaEssentia: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; ItalPharma: Research Funding; Protagonist Therapeutics: Research Funding; CTI Biopharma Corp: Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Blueprint Medicines Corp: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Consultancy, Research Funding; NS Pharma: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding.

Background: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a clonal stem cell disease characterized by marrow fibrosis and a heterogeneous disease phenotype with a variable degree of splenomegaly, cytopenias, and constitutional symptoms that significantly impact quality of life and survival. Both cytogenetic abnormalities and gene mutations in MF carry prognostic significance. Development of novel agents for treatment of MF to target the underlying malignant clones remains a significant area of unmet need. IMbark (MYF2001; NCT02426086) is a randomized Phase 2 study of imetelstat (9.4 mg/kg or 4.7 mg/kg) in intermediate-2/high-risk MF relapsed/refractory to prior Janus kinase inhibitor treatment. Comparing the 9.4 mg/kg arm to the 4.7 mg/kg arm, the rate of symptom response (total symptom score [TSS] reduction ≥50%) was 32.2% and 6.3%, respectively (Mascarenhas et al ASH 2018 #685), and median overall survival (OS) was 28.1 months (mos) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.8, 31.6) and 19.9 mos (95% CI: 17.1, 33.9) with an overall study follow up of 42 mos (Mascarenhas et al, EHA 2020, EP1107). Dose-dependent target inhibition as evaluated by reduction of telomerase activity and human telomerase reverse transcriptase level correlated with clinical responses and longer OS; also, reduction in variant allele frequency (VAF) of driver mutations by imetelstat was reported (Mascarenhas et al EHA 2020 #EP1098). Aims: To evaluate imetelstat activity on depletion of malignant cells (cytogenetically abnormal clones and mutation burden); to assess the relationships between baseline cytogenetic status and change in mutation VAF with clinical benefits such as spleen volume reduction, symptom response, bone marrow fibrosis improvement, and OS. Methods: Cytogenetic analyses were performed on bone marrow aspirates. Peripheral blood samples pre and post imetelstat administration were collected and granulocytes were isolated to analyze mutations and VAF by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using the Illumina TruSight Myeloid Sequencing Panel. Bone marrow fibrosis was assessed by a central pathologist. Results: 83 patients (pts) had baseline cytogenetic results available; 45 (54.2%) had an abnormal karyotype, including 32 (71.1%) with a sole abnormality, the most prevalent being deletions 13q- (24.4%) and 20q- (8.8%), and 5 (11.1%) with a complex karyotype. Spleen and symptom responses were observed in pts with or without abnormal karyotype. Of the 24 pts that had identified cytogenetic abnormalities at baseline and with matched post-treatment cytogenetic results available, 5 (20.8%) achieved ≥50% reduction in their cytogenetically abnormal clones, and interestingly they all had sole deletion 13q-. 49 pts had matched pre- and post-imetelstat treatment (3-14 mos) NGS data and had at least one mutation at baseline. 46.2% of pts (12/26) in the 9.4 mg/kg vs 17.4% (4/23) in the 4.7 mg/kg arm (p=0.0321) achieved ≥20% VAF reduction in any of the mutated genes present at baseline. In addition, pts who achieved ≥20% VAF reduction had higher rates of spleen response (12.5% vs 3%), symptom response (31.3% vs 24.2%) or bone marrow fibrosis improvement (54.4% vs 25%) compared to pts who did not have VAF reduction regardless of dose level (Fig. 1A). Furthermore, a prolonged median OS was seen (Fig. 1B) in pts who achieved ≥20% VAF reduction (31.6 mos, 95% CI: 21.5, NE) vs those with no VAF reduction (22.8 mos, 95% CI: 17.1, 31.6). The 3-year survival rate was 45.5% for pts who achieved ≥20% VAF reduction vs 14.9% for pts with no VAF reduction. Conclusions: Clinical responses to imetelstat treatment were observed regardless of baseline cytogenetic status, and a subset of pts achieved ≥50% reduction in cytogenetically abnormal clones. Significant dose-dependent reductions of mutation burden by imetelstat were noted and correlated with improved overall clinical benefits including higher rates of spleen and symptom responses, bone marrow fibrosis improvement, and prolonged OS. Together with the clinical data that suggest improvement in median OS in these pts, the data presented here further demonstrate that imetelstat has disease-modifying activity by targeting malignant cells, as evidenced by depletion of cytogenetically abnormal clones and reduction in mutation burden. These results will be confirmed in the planned Phase 3 study in refractory MF. Figure Disclosures Mascarenhas: Celgene, Prelude, Galecto, Promedior, Geron, Constellation, and Incyte: Consultancy; Incyte, Kartos, Roche, Promedior, Merck, Merus, Arog, CTI Biopharma, Janssen, and PharmaEssentia: Other: Research funding (institution). Komrokji:Novartis: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Agios: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; JAZZ: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Acceleron: Honoraria; AbbVie: Honoraria; Geron: Honoraria; Incyte: Honoraria. Cavo:Jannsen, BMS, Celgene, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Takeda, Amgen, Oncopeptides, AbbVie, Karyopharm, Adaptive: Consultancy, Honoraria. Niederwieser:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Cellectis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Speakers Bureau; Daiichi: Research Funding. Reiter:Gilead: Other: travel support ; Incyte: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; AOP: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Celgene,: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Abbvie: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Deciphera: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Blueprint: Consultancy, Other: travel support ; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel support , Research Funding. Scott:Alexion, Incyte, Novartis, Regeneron: Consultancy; BMS, Novartis: Research Funding; Agios, BMS: Honoraria. Baer:Astellas: Other: Institutional research funding; Forma: Other: Institutional research funding; Incyte: Other: Institutional research funding; Kite: Other: Institutional research funding; Oscotec: Other: Institutional research funding; Takeda: Other: Institutional research funding; AbbVie: Other: Institutional research funding. Hoffman:Protagonist: Consultancy; Forbius: Consultancy; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Dompe: Research Funding. Odenike:Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astex Pharmaceuticals, NS Pharma, Gilead Sciences, Janssen Oncology, Oncotherapy, Agios, CTI/Baxalta, Aprea: Other: Institutional research funding; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Impact Biomedicines: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Other: Institutional research funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Sherman:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Dougherty:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Feller:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company. Berry:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Sun:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wan:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Rizo:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Huang:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

Background: Current treatment options for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion-dependent (TD) patients with lower risk (LR) myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) relapsed after or refractory to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) have limited efficacy and durability; new approaches are needed. Imetelstat is a 13-mer lipid-conjugated oligonucleotide that targets the RNA template of human telomerase and is a competitive inhibitor of telomerase enzymatic activity (Asai et al, Cancer Res 2003; Herbert et al, Oncogene 2005). Preclinical, in vivo xenograft models (Dikmen et al, Cancer Res 2005; Hochreiter et al, Clin Cancer Res 2006) and preliminary clinical data from a pilot study (Tefferi et al, Blood Cancer J 2016) supported initiation of a study in TD LR MDS patients. The Phase 2 part of IMerge demonstrated an 8-week RBC transfusion independence (RBC-TI) rate of 42%, 24-week RBC-TI rate of 32%, with median duration of TI being 88 weeks. The responses were seen across different subtypes of LR MDS (Platzbecker et al, EHA 2020, S183). No new safety signal was identified. These results support the Phase 3 part of the trial. Methods: IMerge is two-part, Phase 2/3 study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02598661). The Phase 2 portion of the study described above is closed for enrolment. The Phase 3 portion of the study is open for enrollment of adult patients with International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) low or intermediate-1 risk, non-del(5q) MDS, who are TD, are relapsed after or refractory to ESAs, and have not received treatment with lenalidomide or hypomethylating agents. The study is a randomized (2:1) double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to compare efficacy of imetelstat vs. placebo that will enroll approximately 170 patients and will be conducted at approximately 130 centers in North America, Europe, Asia and Middle East. Imetelstat will be administered as 2-hour IV infusion every 4 weeks at 7.5 mg/kg. The primary endpoint of the study is to assess the rate of RBC-TI lasting ≥8 weeks. Secondary endpoints include safety, rate of RBC-TI ≥24 weeks, time to RBC-TI start, RBC-TI duration, rate of hematologic improvement-erythroid (HI-E), the amount and relative change in RBC transfusions, rate of complete response or partial response, overall survival, progression of MDS, pharmacokinetics, and effect of treatment on quality of life. Biomarkers relevant to the mechanism of action of imetelstat will be assessed to demonstrate target inhibition and their association with clinical responses. Cytogenetics and mutation analyses will be performed to evaluate the impact of imetelstat on reduction/depletion of malignant clones leading to disease modification. Disclosures Platzbecker: AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Geron: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Fenaux:Abbvie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Jazz: Honoraria, Research Funding. Steensma:CRISPR: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Aprea Therapeutics: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy; Onconova: Consultancy; Arena: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; H3 Biosciences: Research Funding; Astex Pharmaceuticals, Otsuka: Consultancy; Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Font:Abbvie: Other: Travel, accommodations, expenses; Menarini: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, accommodations, expenses, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, accommodations, expenses; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Diez-Campelo:Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene BMS: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Thepot:astellas: Honoraria; novartis: Honoraria; sanofi: Honoraria; celgene: Honoraria. Jang:Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding. Sherman:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Dougherty:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Sun:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Huang:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wan:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Rizo:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Berry:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Feller:Geron Corp: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company. Santini:Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Acceleron: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Menarini: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Johnson & Johnson: Honoraria.

BACKGROUND: Patients with TD lower-risk (LR)-MDS relapsed or refractory to ESA have limited treatment options. Imetelstat is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor that targets cells with short telomere lengths and active telomerase, characteristics observed in some MDS patients. IMerge is an ongoing global study of imetelstat in RBC TD patients with LR-MDS (IPSS Low or Int-1). In the first 32 patients enrolled, 8-week TI rate was 34%, with 24-week TI of 16%, and HI-E of 59%. The most frequently reported adverse events were reversible grade ≥3 cytopenias (Fenaux et al EHA 2018 Abstr S1157). Higher response rates were observed in patients (n=13) who were LEN and HMA naïve without del(5q). We report here results in an additional 25 LEN and HMA naïve patients without del(5q), with longer term follow-up of the 13 initial patients meeting the same criteria. METHODS: IMerge is a phase 2/3 trial (NCT02598661) that includes LR-MDS patients with a high transfusion burden (≥4 units / 8 weeks) who are relapsed/refractory to ESA or have sEPO >500 mU/mL. The additional 25 were required to be LEN and HMA naïve and lack del(5q). Imetelstat 7.5 mg/kg was administered IV every 4 weeks. In addition to the key endpoints noted above, secondary endpoints include safety, time to and duration of TI. Biomarkers are also being explored, including telomerase activity, hTERT, telomere length, and genetic mutations. RESULTS: Overall, for the 38 LEN/HMA naïve and non-del(5q) patients, median age was 71.5 years and 66% were men. 63% of patients were IPSS Low and 37% Int-1. Median prior RBC transfusion burden was 8.0 (range 4-14) U, and 71% had WHO 2008 RARS or RCMD-RS. 9/37 (24%) patients with evaluable sEPO levels had baseline level >500 mU/mL. As of July 2018, with a median follow-up of 25.8 months for the initial 13 patients, and 5.2 months for the 25 recently included patients, the 8-week RBC-TI rate was 37% (14/38). Durability of 24-week TI responses was demonstrated, with a median duration of 10 months and the longest ongoing response now >2 years. Among the patients achieving durable TI, all showed a Hb rise of ≥3.0 g/dL compared to baseline during the transfusion-free interval. Response rates were similar in RARS/RCMD-RS (33% [9/27]) and other patients (27% [3/11]), and those with baseline EPO levels >500 mU/mL (33% [3/9]) and ≤500 mU/mL (32% [9/28]). Reversible grade ≥3 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were each reported in 58% of the patients. Liver function test (LFT) elevations were mostly grade 1/2. Reversible grade 3 LFTelevations were observed in 3 (8%) patients on study. An independent Hepatic Review Committee deemed the observed LFT elevations were not imetelstat-related hepatic toxicities. SUMMARY / CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of 38 non-del(5q) LR-MDS patients with a high RBC transfusion burden who were ESA relapsed/refractory and naïve to LEN/HMA, single-agent imetelstat yielded a TI rate of 37%, with a median duration of 10 months and limited side effects. Durable responses were characterized by transfusion independence >24 weeks and accompanied by Hb rise. Updated data will be presented. Disclosures Steensma: Takeda: Consultancy; Syros: Research Funding; Otsuka: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Onconova: Consultancy; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kura: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; H3 Biosciences: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Amphivena: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Acceleron: Consultancy. Platzbecker:Celgene: Research Funding. Van Eygen:Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding. Raza:Kura Oncology: Research Funding; Onconova: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Geoptix: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Research Funding; Syros: Research Funding. Santini:Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Otsuka: Consultancy; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding. Germing:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding. Font:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Samarina:Janssen: Research Funding. Díez-Campelo:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Bussolari:Janssen: Employment, Equity Ownership. Sherman:Janssen: Employment, Equity Ownership. Sun:Janssen: Employment, Equity Ownership. Varsos:Janssen: Employment, Equity Ownership. Rose:Janssen: Employment, Equity Ownership. Fenaux:Roche: Honoraria; Otsuka: Honoraria, Research Funding; Jazz: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding.