BLUE - Bluebird bio pares losses after suggesting lentiviral vector didn't cause blood cancer

After ten consecutive days of losses, Bluebird bio (BLUE) has risen for the third consecutive day with a ~10.6% gain today.Last week, the company announced that it has paused two clinical trials evaluating LentiGlobin gene therapy for sickle cell disease (“SCD”) due to two suspected cases of acute myeloid leukemia (“AML”) and myelodysplastic syndrome (“MDS”).The company said it was investigating the case of AML to determine whether it was related to the use of BB305 lentiviral vector in the manufacture of LentiGlobin gene therapy.However, at the SVB Leerink healthcare conference, the management of Bluebird bio has indicated that the patient’s SCD was so severe that AML might have occurred independently of the vector, and the case of MDS could be a result of misdiagnosis.Last week, Bluebird bio shares sank ~37.9% on the day of its announcement of suspension to clinical trials dragging even other developers with lentiviral vectors in their portfolio.

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Bluebird bio pares losses after suggesting lentiviral vector didn’t cause blood cancer