Telomerase Inhibitors
1 drugsAbout Telomerase
Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that maintains telomeres, the protective caps on chromosomes that shorten with cell division. It is typically inactive in normal cells, leading to senescence, but is reactivated in cancer cells, promoting immortality and tumor growth.
Telomerase is a compelling oncology target because its activity is critical for cancer cell survival. While there is currently no genetic evidence directly linking telomerase mutations to specific diseases, its role in cancer makes it therapeutically relevant.
Telomerase is targeted by one FDA-approved drug, RYTELO, a small molecule developed by GERON for oncology indications. RYTELO was first approved in 2024, demonstrating the clinical viability of telomerase inhibition.
Top Telomerase Drugs
GERON is the only company with an approved telomerase-targeting drug.
The market is highly concentrated, suggesting high barriers to entry or limited investment in this target class.
Telomerase Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
Only one approved drug targets Telomerase, using small molecule modality.
The lack of diverse modalities represents a whitespace opportunity for novel therapeutic approaches like antibodies or gene therapies.
Telomerase Clinical Trials 18 trials
Phase 1-4 trials started in 2008 or later that test an FDA-approved drug acting on Telomerase. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. How we count
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Stopped | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 50% |
| Phase 2 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 71% |
| Phase 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Top Drugs
Telomerase Drug Approval Timeline (2024 - 2024)
RYTELO was the first and most recent drug approved in 2024.
The recent approval suggests renewed interest in telomerase inhibition, but further approvals are needed to confirm this trend.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 1 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 1 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 1-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Sponsors: 9 (2 companies)
- • Completion rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Count Trials
- Trials: phase 1-4 interventional trials on ClinicalTrials.gov that started in 2008 or later and test an FDA-approved drug acting on Telomerase. A trial counts if an approved drug acting on Telomerase is in any arm, including as a comparator, and a trial that tests two such drugs counts once. Trials that test only unapproved drugs are not counted. A trial listed as phase 1/2 counts as phase 1, and phase 2/3 as phase 2.
- Active: recruiting, not yet recruiting, enrolling by invitation, or active and no longer recruiting.
- Completion rate: of the trials that have ended, the share marked Completed rather than Terminated or Withdrawn. Completed means the trial ended as planned; it does not mean the drug worked. Suspended trials are not counted as ended.
- Stopped: terminated or withdrawn. Trials stop for many reasons, including slow enrolment and business decisions, not only safety or efficacy.
- Sponsors: the lead sponsor of each trial. Companies are the sponsors ClinicalTrials.gov classes as industry; the rest are universities, hospitals, cooperative groups, government bodies and individuals.