The FDA has lifted clinical holds on four studies from Bluebird Bio Inc., following recent similar actions with other gene therapy programs. Two of the studies concern phase I/II and phase III clinical trials of the gene therapy Lentiglobin (BB-1111) in treating sickle cell disease. The remaining two studies are phase III clinical trials of betibeglogene autotemcel gene therapy, which share a vector with Lentiglobin, for treating transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia.
Just weeks after two unexpected cases of blood cancer landed trials of its investigational gene therapies for sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta-thalassemia on FDA-issued clinical holds, Bluebird Bio Inc. said it's talking to regulators about their resumption after what RBC analyst Luca Issi called a "partial exoneration" of the BB-305 lentiviral vector shared between the medicines.
Shares of Bluebird Bio Inc. (NASDAQ:BLUE) fell 37.8% to $28.44 on Feb. 16 as the company temporarily suspended two trials of its experimental gene therapy for sickle cell disease, Lentiglobin (BB-1111), while investigating one unexpected case of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and another of myelodysplastic syndrome among participants in a phase I/II study of the candidate, called HGB-206. A second patient experienced MDS in 2018.
Shares of Bluebird Bio Inc. (NASDAQ:BLUE) sank 16.6%, or $9.72, to close at $48.83 as Wall Street reacted to news that the U.S. regulatory filing for Lentiglobin in sickle cell disease (SCD) will be delayed. Previously expected in the second half of next year, the filing won’t happen until late 2022.
The CDC estimates that sickle cell disease affects well over 100,000 Americans, with the disease occurring most often in African Americans. September has been designated as National Sickle Cell Awareness month designed to focus attention on the ongoing research in this field and the need for new treatments.