Summary Background Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are the standard-of-care
treatment for anaemia in most patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes but
responses are limited and transient. Luspatercept promotes late-stage erythroid maturation
and has shown durable clinical efficacy in patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic
syndromes. In this study, we report the results of a prespecified interim analysis of
luspatercept versus epoetin alfa for the treatment of anaemia due to lower-risk …

Introduction: ESAs are an established treatment (tx) for pts with TD LR-MDS and
endogenous serum erythropoietin (sEPO) levels≤ 500 U/L; however, eligible pts often do
not respond, or the response duration is limited. Luspatercept is approved in the US and EU
to treat anemia due to LR-MDS after ESA failure. The preplanned interim analysis of the
phase 3 COMMANDS trial (NCT03682536), comparing luspatercept with epoetin alfa in ESA-
naive TD pts with anemia due to LR-MDS (with or without ring sideroblasts [RS]) showed for …