Geron Corporation Announces Oral Presentations Highlighting Imetelstat at International Hematology Congresses in Europe and Asia

(NASDAQ:GERN) Geron Corporation announced two oral presentations and one poster presentation on imetelstat in patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS) at the 88th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Hematology and the 2026 Annual Meeting of the German, Austrian and Swiss Societies for Hematology and Medical Oncology. The presentations included real-world evidence and findings from the Phase 3 IMerge trial. Joseph E. Eid, M.D., Executive Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of Geron, stated that the presentations provide an opportunity to share evidence relevant to patient populations across regions and to engage with clinicians. The retrospective U.S. real-world study (N=58, mean age 75 years at diagnosis) used Komodo Health database claims data for adults with MDS who initiated imetelstat between June 2024 and August 2025, representing the first 14 months after the U.S. launch. Most patients (71%) started imetelstat in the third line or later, with a mean Charleson Comorbidity Index of 2.6 at initiation. Despite substantial comorbidity burden, approximately 67% of patients remained on therapy at 6 months (Kaplan-Meier estimate). A post-hoc study in Korean patients with LR-MDS included two patients with over one year of red blood cell transfusion independence (RBC-TI) on imetelstat, and 13 patients from the Phase 2/3 and QTc substudy of IMerge. Both long-term responders experienced grade 3/4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia early in treatment, which resolved to grade ≤2 in less than 4 weeks. Durable efficacy and manageable safety were observed in Korean patients across a range of characteristics. Early cytopenias with imetelstat were associated with better clinical outcomes in the 13 Korean patients, consistent with prior IMerge data. The German, Austrian and Swiss Societies meeting presentation integrated molecular findings, cytopenias, and clinical outcomes from the Phase 2/3 and QTc substudy of IMerge, including evidence suggesting imetelstat may potentially alter the underlying biology of LR-MDS. Transient cytopenias early in treatment may be an on-target effect and predictive of better therapeutic response. Certain patients with LR-MDS and transfusion-dependent anemia who achieve sustained RBC-TI (≥8-week, ≥24-week, or ≥1-year) with imetelstat may experience improved health-related outcomes, including fatigue and QUALMS scores. RYTELO (imetelstat) is approved in the United States for adult patients with LR-MDS with transfusion-dependent anemia requiring four or more red blood cell units over eight weeks who have not responded to or are ineligible for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. RYTELO is also approved in the European Union for adult patients with transfusion-dependent anemia due to very low, low or intermediate risk myelodysplastic syndromes without an isolated deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality and who had an unsatisfactory response to or are ineligible for erythropoietin-based therapy. RYTELO is administered as an intravenous infusion over two hours every four weeks. RYTELO is the first and only telomerase inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Commission. The presentations are available on the Publications & Presentations page of the Geron website.