ASCO: Takeda and Protagonist release positive Phase III VERIFY study of rusfertide in polycythemia vera

2 June 2025

US drugmaker Protagonist Therapeutics (Nasdaq: PTGX) and Japan’s Takeda Pharma (TYO:4502) announced detailed results from the Phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled VERIFY study evaluating rusfertide in patients with polycythemia vera (PV), which met the primary and all key secondary endpoints.

The data were presented as a late-breaking oral presentation at the 61st American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting Plenary Session (LBA3).

PV is characterized by overproduction of red blood cells (erythrocytosis), which may increase blood viscosity, or thickness, potentially resulting in life threatening thrombotic events such as stroke, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

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