Bristol Myers Squibb Launches Reblozyl®, the World’s First and Only Erythroid Maturation Agent, in China for the Treatment of β-Thalassemia

On June 14, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced the official launch in China of Lusplys® (generic name "Roxadustat for Injection"), the world's first and currently only erythroid maturation agent. As the first innovative drug in China in over a decade for the treatment of β-thalassemia (hereinafter referred to as "β-thalassemia"), Lusplys® will be used to treat adult patients with β-thalassemia who require regular red blood cell transfusions and receive ≤15 units of red blood cells per 24 weeks.

As an innovative therapeutic drug, Luspatercept can effectively reduce the transfusion burden in transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia patients, bringing positive implications for alleviating blood supply shortages in society. It is estimated that the annual blood transfusion volume in responding Chinese patients could be reduced by approximately 57%5. Additionally, the Phase III clinical study BELIEVE demonstrated that with Luspatercept treatment, the proportion of patients whose transfusion burden decreased by ≥33% from baseline was nearly 5 times higher in the Luspatercept group than in the placebo group (21.4% vs 4.5%) between weeks 13 and 24, and this proportion was 15 times higher in any 24-week period (41.1% vs 2.7%).

At the 2022 European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Meeting, the long-term efficacy and safety data of the BELIEVE study were announced. The data showed that more patients in the luspatercept group experienced a reduction in transfusion burden after a median treatment duration of approximately 154 weeks, with good tolerability. This once again confirms that long-term treatment with luspatercept can bring sustained benefits to patients.

Source: Bristol-Myers Squibb China Official WeChat