bluebird bio: FDA Lifts Clinical Hold for Sickle Cell Disease and β-Thalassemia Studies

 

bluebird bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLUE) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the clinical holds on the Phase 1/2 HGB-206 and Phase 3 HGB-210 studies of LentiGlobin for sickle cell disease (SCD) gene therapy (bb1111) for adult and pediatric patients with SCD, and the Phase 3 Northstar-2 (HGB-207) and Northstar-3 (HGB-212) studies of betibeglogene autotemcel gene therapy (beti-cel; licensed as ZYNTEGLO™ in the EU and the UK) for adult, adolescent and pediatric patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT). The company is working closely with study investigators and clinical trial sites to resume all study activities as soon as possible.

"Patient safety continues to be our utmost priority, and we are grateful for the close partnership with the FDA, investigators, scientists and most importantly, patients, who all contributed to the assessments of the adverse events in HGB-206 that ultimately led to today’s announcement," said Andrew Obenshain, president, severe genetic diseases, bluebird bio. "As pioneers in gene therapy, we remain committed to advancing the field through our learnings. Over the past four months, we have gained deeper knowledge and understanding of the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease that will allow us to better serve patients and the broader community. We look forward to resuming our clinical programs and continuing to advance toward major regulatory submissions for sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia."

Previously Reported Safety Events

On March 10, 2021, bluebird bio reported that it is very unlikely the suspected unexpected serious adverse reaction (SUSAR) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) reported in the HGB-206 study of LentiGlobin for SCD was related to the BB305 lentiviral vector (LVV). No cases of hematologic malignancy have been reported in any patient who has received treatment with beti-cel. On April 20, 2021, bluebird bio announced a revised diagnosis for the previously reported case of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in its Phase 1/2 study of LentiGlobin for SCD. Upon further assessment, the treating investigator concluded this is not a case of MDS and revised the diagnosis to transfusion-dependent anemia.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bluebird-bio-announces-lifting-fda-120000758.html