Shares of Bluebird Bio Inc. BLUE, -0.02% slid 34% in premarket trade Tuesday, after the biotech said it is temporarily suspending Phase 1/2 and Phase 3 trials of its LentiGlobin gene therapy for sickle cell disease after a report of a suspected unexpected serious adverse reaction of acute myeloid leukemia. The patient involved was treated more than five years ago and has not been diagnosed with AML, the company said in a statement. “The company is investigating the cause of this patient’s AML in order to determine if there is any relationship to the use of BB305 lentiviral vector in the manufacture of LentiGlobin gene therapy for SCD,” said Bluebird. “In addition, a second SUSAR of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in a patient from Group C of HGB-206 was reported last week to the company and is currently being investigated.” The company said it will work with regulators to complete its investigation. Shares have fallen 49% in the last 12 months, while the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF XBI, -0.91% has gained 69% and the S&P 500 SPX, +0.47% has sgained 16%.
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