The 67th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition spotlighted many pivotal trial results across non-malignant haematology including immune thrombocytopenia, bleeding disorders, iron deficiency, von Willebrand disease, cancer-associated hematologic complications and more. Below, we break down some of the most important abstracts presented, and what this might mean for future clinical practice.

Dr Hanny Al-Samkari (Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA)

“The latest haematology research presented at ASH25 showcases exciting advances in bleeding and clotting disorders, from innovative targeted therapies and prophylactic antibodies to improved management strategies, offering new hope for patients and paving the way for more personalized, effective care”

Dr Hanny Al-Samkari (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA)

In patients with corticosteroid-refractory immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), combining ianalumab with eltrombopag extended the time-to-treatment failure and increased the proportion achieving sustained platelet responses. The combination was generally well tolerated, with a safety profile consistent with each agent alone.

Haris Sohail (Charleston Area Medical Center, Hematology/Oncology, Charleston, WV, USA

Among hospitalized patients with acute infections, intravenous iron therapy was associated with lower short- and long-term mortality and improved haemoglobin recovery. These findings support a potential survival benefit from correcting iron deficiency in this population.

Dr Brett Houston (University of Manitoba/CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

Bleeding remains a major driver of perioperative transfusions, morbidity and resource use. The TRACTION trial examined whether implementing a hospital-wide policy of prophylactic tranexamic acid (TXA) in major non-cardiac surgeries would reduce transfusion rates. As a pragmatic, policy-level intervention, the study evaluates translation of TXA’s known haemostatic benefits into real-world institutional practice. The abstract reports transfusion rates, effect sizes and safety outcomes (including thrombotic events) – critical data for assessing whether routine TXA policy is defensible and scalable. Such findings could influence surgical transfusion protocols worldwide – though adoption should await full review of the exact numbers and follow-up, especially for safety events.

Allison Wheeler (University of Washington, Washington Center for Bleeding Disorders and Divisions of Pediatric Hematology, Seattle, WA, USA)

Monthly subcutaneous VGA039 markedly reduced bleeding rates in patients with von Willebrand disease, including types 1, 2 and 3. The therapy was well tolerated and showed consistent efficacy across patient subgroups.

Rebecca Leaf (Massachusetts General Hospital, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston, MA, USA)

Immune checkpoint inhibitor–associated ITP is rare but clinically important, occurring in about 0.25% of treated patients. Over half of cases responded to standard ITP therapies, while severe presentations were linked to increased mortality.

Dr Hanny Al-Samkari (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA)

The first report from the Comprehensive Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) Outcomes Registry of the United States (CHORUS), a first-of-its-kind study, highlighted that nearly three-quarters of patients with HHT have moderate-to-severe mucosal bleeding, including epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and heavy menstrual bleeding. It also described for the first time the incidence of arterial and venous thromboembolic events, both considerably higher than the general population, and serious central nervous system complications, including an incidence of intracranial hemorrhage of 3%, comparable to hemophilia in the pre-routine prophylaxis era.

Daniel Wang (Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA)

Screening pregnant women for iron deficiency using a ferritin threshold of <30 µg/L was cost-effective and improved maternal haemoglobin levels. Early identification and treatment may prevent complications such as anaemia and associated adverse outcomes.

Ming Lim (University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA)

In newly diagnosed cancer patients, gastrointestinal bleeding was the most common event, affecting nearly 4% at one year. Bleeding events independently increased mortality risk, emphasizing the need for careful monitoring and management.

Davide Matino (Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute and Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada)

Weekly subcutaneous marstacimab substantially reduced annualized bleeding rates in patients with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors and improved quality-of-life scores. The therapy demonstrated a favourable safety profile with mostly mild-to-moderate adverse events.

Paul Saultier (APHM Hospital de la Timone, Marseille, France)

In patients with Glanzmann thrombasthenia, subcutaneous sutacimig prophylaxis reduced median treated bleeding rates by over 50%. The drug was generally well tolerated, with mild-to-moderate adverse events and transient anti-drug antibody development in a small number of patients.

Disclosure: This article was created independently by the touchHAEMATOLOGY team utilizing AI as an editorial tool (ChatGPT (GPT-4o) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat.) The content was developed and edited by human editors. No funding was received in the publication of this article. It is not affiliated with the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

Cite: ASH25: Top abstracts in non-malignant haematology. December 11th, 2025

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