Treating Cold Agglutinin Disease with Sutimlimab

Clinical complications of cold agglutinin disease (CAD) include hemolytic anemia and acrocyanosis. The disease is driven by IgM autoantibodies that bind red cells, leading to agglutination and activation of the classical complement cascade, resulting in hemolysis. A prior study of an anti-C1s antibody, sutimlimab, targeting the classical complement pathway, improved anemia in a small study (NEJM JW Oncol Hematol May 2019 and Blood 2019; 133:893).

Now, in a multicenter, prospective open-label study, researchers assessed the safety and efficacy of sutimlimab. The composite primary endpoint was normalization of hemoglobin to ≥12 g/dL or an increase in hemoglobin by ≥2 g/dL, without need for transfusion. The 24 enrolled patients had a median hem…