New combo aims to cut transfusions for blood disorder patients

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years, regardless of gender; * Patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia; * Intended treatment with rotecept combined with low-dose thalidomide or rotecept alone; * Requires regular red blood cell transfusions (6-30 RBC units (International Units) within 24 weeks prior to randomization, with a transfusion-free interval of ≤ 42 days); * ECOG performance status 0-1; * Patients (or legal guardians) voluntarily participate in the study and provide signed informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * A diagnosis of α-thalassemia minor, Hb Bart's edema, hemoglobin S/β-thalassemia, or myelodysplastic anemia (combination of β-thalassemia and α-thalassemia is permitted); * Anemia related to nutritional deficiency, anemia of chronic disease, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, or any other hemolytic anemia (e.g., severe G6PD deficiency, pyruvate kinase deficiency); * A bleeding disorder manifesting as frequent bleeding (e.g., menorrhagia, epistaxis, coagulopathy); * Hemolysis unrelated to thalassemia within the past 8 weeks, such as after use of hemolytic-inducing medications (e.g., antimalarials, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs \[NSAIDs\]); * Use of long-term anticoagulant therapy, unless discontinued at least 28 days before randomization. Prophylactic anticoagulant therapy for surgery or high-risk procedures, as well as low-molecular-weight heparin and long-term aspirin therapy for superficial venous thrombosis, are permitted. * Use of thalidomide alone, erythropoiesis-stimulating drugs (ESA), or hydroxyurea within the past 24 weeks. * Use of long-term systemic glucocorticoids within the past 12 weeks. * Use of cytotoxic drugs, immunosuppressants, or other investigational drugs within the past 28 days. * HIV positive and/or active HCV or HBV infection. * Hepatic and renal insufficiency (liver insufficiency, i.e., aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≥3× upper limit of normal (ULN); renal insufficiency, i.e., serum creatinine ≥3× upper limit of normal (ULN) or creatinine clearance less than 30). mL/min), history of malignancy (unless cured and/or with no known active disease); * Women who are pregnant, plan to become pregnant during the study, or are breastfeeding; * Previous thalassemia gene therapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT); * Platelet count \< 70 × 109/L, if not associated with hypersplenism, or platelet count \> 1,000 × 109/L; * Other conditions deemed unsuitable for participation in this clinical trial by the investigator.