Imetelstat (Rytelo)
Mechanism of action
From NCI Drug Dictionary: The sodium salt of imetelstat, a synthetic lipid-conjugated, 13-mer oligonucleotide N3' P5'-thio-phosphoramidate with potential antineoplastic activity. Complementary to the template region of telomerase RNA (hTR), imetelstat acts as a competitive enzyme inhibitor that binds and blocks the active site of the enzyme (a "telomerase template antagonist"), a mechanism of action which differs from that for the antisense oligonucleotide-mediated inhibition of telomerase activity through telomerase mRNA binding. Inhibition of telomerase activity in tumor cells by imetelstat results in telomere shortening, which leads to cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. Link to company website
Diseases for which it is established
Diseases for which it is used
History of changes in FDA indication
- 2024-06-06: Approved for adults with low- to intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with transfusion-dependent anemia requiring four or more red blood cell units over 8 weeks who have not responded to or have lost response to or are ineligible for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). (Based on IMerge)
Also known as
- Code name: GRN-163L
- Brand name: Rytelo