bluebird bio
NEWS
To say that 2seventy bio’s short two years of existence have been dramatic is an understatement. CEO Chip Baird told BioSpace transparency and a committed staff have kept the biotech going through thick and thin.
About a month after reporting it’s had a tough time starting enough patients on its treatments, bluebird bio announced it will lay off about 25% of its employees, over half of whom work in R&D.
Infusions of Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics’ Casgevy and bluebird bio’s Lyfgenia have begun; Moderna targets 10 approvals through 2027; more oral obesity drug data; the latest from ESMO and more.
Last month, Vertex said sickle cell patients had not yet received infusions of its gene therapy Casgevy. That’s now changed, as the company races with bluebird bio’s Lyfgenia.
Likely to miss its initiation target, bluebird bio has renegotiated the loan deals of its agreement with Hercules Capital, giving it until June 30 next year—at the latest.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General found that bluebird bio’s fertility support program for its gene therapies could potentially violate federal anti-kickback statutes.
While these technologies are now a therapeutic reality, the ASGCT 2024 annual meeting this week was a reminder of just how far we are from widespread use.
With 15 patients started across its three gene therapies, bluebird bio claims a 138% year-over-year revenue growth and aims to initiate up to around 100 new patients in the current year.
With several recent approvals in the space and more on the horizon, BioSpace looks at some of the key decisions and their larger significance both for patients and science.
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