Geron Corporation reported strong financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2024, highlighting the successful commercial launch of RYTELO (imetelstat), the first and only FDA-approved telomerase inhibitor for the treatment of certain patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS).
The company achieved $47.5 million in RYTELO net product revenue in Q4 2024, bringing total revenue since the late June 2024 launch to $76.5 million. This performance exceeded internal expectations and positions Geron to potentially reach profitability without additional financing.
"2024 was a terrific year for Geron and for RYTELO, our first-in-class telomerase inhibitor, which we believe represents a highly differentiated treatment with blockbuster potential in the high unmet need, lower-risk MDS patient population," said John A. Scarlett, M.D., Geron's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Financial Performance and Outlook
As of December 31, 2024, Geron reported approximately $502.9 million in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and marketable securities. The company's net loss for Q4 2024 was $25.4 million ($0.04 per share), a significant improvement compared to $52.0 million ($0.09 per share) for the same period in 2023.
For the full year 2024, Geron reported a net loss of $174.6 million ($0.27 per share), compared to $184.1 million ($0.32 per share) for 2023. The improved financial performance primarily reflects the commercial revenue from RYTELO sales following FDA approval in June 2024.
For fiscal year 2025, Geron expects total operating expenses to be in the range of approximately $270 million to $285 million, which includes non-cash items such as stock-based compensation expense, amortization of debt discounts and issuance costs, and depreciation and amortization.
"Based on our current operating plans and assumptions, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, together with anticipated net revenues from U.S. sales of RYTELO, will be sufficient to fund our projected operating requirements for the foreseeable future," the company stated.
Clinical Development Progress
Geron continues to advance its clinical development program for imetelstat beyond the approved LR-MDS indication. The company reported approximately 80% enrollment in the Phase 3 IMpactMF trial evaluating imetelstat in patients with relapsed/refractory myelofibrosis (R/R MF).
Based on current planning assumptions for enrollment and event rates, Geron now expects:
- Interim analysis for overall survival may occur in the second half of 2026 (when approximately 35% of planned enrolled patients have died)
- Final analysis may occur in the second half of 2028 (when approximately 50% of planned enrolled patients have died)
Dr. Scarlett noted, "We also continued to progress our development efforts in relapsed/refractory myelofibrosis, which could potentially double our commercial opportunity if our IMpactMF Phase 3 trial reads out positively and we are approved in this indication."
At the 66th American Society for Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in December 2024, Geron presented new data including analyses of IMerge Phase 3 data suggesting clinical activity of imetelstat in patients with lower-risk MDS regardless of type or number of prior therapies. The company also presented Phase 1 findings from IMproveMF suggesting tolerability of imetelstat in combination with ruxolitinib as a potential frontline therapy in patients with MF.
European Regulatory Progress
In December 2024, Geron received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommending approval of RYTELO for the treatment of certain adult patients with transfusion-dependent anemia due to lower-risk MDS.
Subject to receiving regulatory approval, which is expected in the first half of 2025, Geron is preparing to commercialize RYTELO in select EU countries in 2026, further expanding the global reach of this first-in-class therapy.
About RYTELO (imetelstat)
RYTELO is a first-in-class treatment that works by inhibiting telomerase enzymatic activity. Telomeres are protective caps at the end of chromosomes that naturally shorten each time a cell divides. In LR-MDS, abnormal bone marrow cells often express the enzyme telomerase, which rebuilds those telomeres, allowing for uncontrolled cell division.
The drug is FDA-approved for the treatment of adult patients with low-to-intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes with transfusion-dependent anemia requiring four or more red blood cell units over eight weeks who have not responded to or have lost response to or are ineligible for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). It is administered as an intravenous infusion over two hours every four weeks.
Important safety information for RYTELO includes warnings about thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, infusion-related reactions, and embryo-fetal toxicity. In clinical trials, serious adverse reactions occurred in 32% of patients who received RYTELO, with the most common being sepsis (4.2%), fracture (3.4%), cardiac failure (2.5%), and hemorrhage (2.5%).
As Geron continues to execute its commercial strategy and advance its clinical pipeline, the company appears well-positioned to build on the early success of RYTELO and potentially expand its approved indications to address additional areas of high unmet need in hematologic malignancies.
