Trial reportAdvances in therapy2025
Long-Term Transfusion Independence with Luspatercept Versus Epoetin Alfa in Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agent-Naive, Lower-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes in the COMMANDS Trial.
Trial report in Advances in therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03682536 (A Phase 3, Open-label, Randomized Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Luspatercept), which is not on this map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Phase 3, Open-label, Randomized Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Luspatercept (ACE-536) Versus Epoetin Alpha for the Treatment of Anemia Due to IPSS-R Very Low, Low or Intermediate Risk Due to Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in ESA Naïve Subjects Who Require Red Blood Cell Transfusions
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Luspatercept: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond in the Management of Ineffective Erythropoiesis.Journal of hematology · 2026Review
- Clinical and Biological Insights into Myelodysplastic Neoplasms Associated with Deletions of Chromosome 5q Region.Hematology reports · 2025Review
- Iron chelation therapy in myelodysplastic syndromes and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, a delicate balance.Blood reviews · 2025Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe efficacy of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) for transfusion-dependent (TD) anemia in lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS) is limited. Luspatercept achieved significantly greater rates of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion independence (TI) versus epoetin alfa (an ESA) in the phase 3 COMMANDS trial. This analysis assessed long-term RBC-TI, cumulative response, and safety with luspatercept in COMMANDS.
methodsEligible patients aged ≥ 18 years, with ESA-naive, RBC TD LR-MDS were randomized 1:1 to receive luspatercept (1.0 mg/kg, titration to 1.75 mg/kg permitted) or epoetin alfa (450 IU/kg, titration to 1050 IU/kg). Disease assessment was carried out at week 24 (day 169) and every 24 weeks thereafter. Treatment continued until disease progression, lack of clinical benefit, unacceptable toxicity, or consent withdrawal.
resultsAt data cutoff (September 22, 2023; median follow-up: luspatercept 21.4 months, epoetin alfa 20.3 months), a greater proportion of patients treated with luspatercept (n = 182) versus epoetin alfa (n = 181) achieved a longest single RBC-TI period ≥ 1 year (44.5% vs. 27.6%; P = 0.0003) and ≥ 1.5 years (30.2% vs. 13.8%; P < 0.0001). Higher rates of RBC-TI ≥ 1.5 years with luspatercept over epoetin alfa were consistent across all prespecified subgroups, including patients with ring sideroblast-negative status and low baseline serum erythropoietin. Longer cumulative RBC-TI response [sum of all durations of RBC-TI for ≥ 12 weeks; week 1 to end of treatment (95% CI)] was observed with luspatercept [154.7 weeks (118.4-NR)] versus epoetin alfa [91.1 weeks (73.1-123.9)]. Rates of treatment-emergent adverse events, including asthenia and hypertension, generally decreased over time in both arms. Progression rates to high-risk MDS and acute myeloid leukemia were similarly low (< 5%) in both treatment arms.
conclusionsThese data demonstrated sustained, durable clinical benefit across subgroups and support luspatercept as the treatment of choice for anemia in patients with LR-MDS who are TD and ESA-naive. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03682536.
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