What's New?

Faron Pharmaceuticals announced that new clinical and translational data from the Phase I/II BEXMAB study evaluating bexmarilimab in combination with azacitidine in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (HR-MDS) will be presented as a part of a Mini Oral Abstract Session at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, taking place from October 17-21, 2025, in Berlin, Germany.

Servier announced that long-term efficacy and safety results, published in Blood Advances, continue to demonstrate the sustained survival benefit of adding TIBSOVO to azacitidine in IDH1-mutated AML.

A new clinical trial shows that using partially matched peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donors—combined with cyclophosphamide to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)—can be a safe and effective option for patients with blood cancers who don’t have fully matched donors. One year post-transplant, 80% of participants were alive, and the rate of serious GVHD was comparable to fully matched transplants. This breakthrough could help more patients, especially those from diverse backgrounds, access life-saving transplants.

At the MDS Foundation’s 18^th International Congress, global experts shared new insights into the biology, diagnosis, and treatment of MDS, including the role of inflammation in clonal evolution, moves toward a unified classification system, earlier identification of CHIP and CCUS, and updates on therapies like venetoclax and luspatercept. Read the full special edition report for more.

Keros Therapeutics, Inc. (“Keros”) (Nasdaq: KROS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to treat a wide range of patients with disorders that are linked to dysfunctional signaling of the transforming growth factor-beta (“TGF-ß”) family of proteins, today announced that the first patient was dosed in the Phase 3 RENEW clinical trial of elritercept in adults with transfusion-dependent anemia with very low, low, or intermediate risk myelodysplastic syndromes (“MDS”). The dosing of the first patient triggers a $10 million milestone payment to Keros under the global license agreement with Takeda.

CancerCare has released a new educational workshop recording covering key updates in MDS treatment. Topics include diagnosis and staging, new and emerging therapies, symptom and side effect management, nutrition tips, and how to prepare for telehealth appointments. The session also highlights the role of clinical trials and follow-up care planning, with insights from a panel of experts.

A recent clinical trial led by Al Malki et al. (Journal of Clinical Oncology, June 16, 2025) evaluated the safety and efficacy of cyclophosphamide‑based graft‑versus‑host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis in patients receiving partially HLA-matched peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplants—primarily individuals with blood cancers who lacked fully matched donors. After one year, around 80% survival and only 10% moderate-to-severe GVHD were observed, rates comparable to fully matched transplants. The findings suggest that PBSC transplants from partially matched donors, when combined with post-transplant cyclophosphamide, are a safe and effective option, especially expanding access for patients from diverse genetic backgrounds or when younger donors are needed

AbbVie has announced that the Phase III VERONA trial evaluating venetoclax in combination with azacitidine in newly diagnosed higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (HR-MDS) did not meet its primary endpoint of overall survival. The safety profile was consistent with previous studies, and no new safety signals were observed. These results do not impact venetoclax’s existing indications.