NEWS IN BRIEF
Bluebird teams with Celgene on CAR T-cell therapy
Bluebird Bio and Celgene Corporation are collaborating to make a CAR T-cell therapy for patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma in the US.
Under the agreement, the firms will co-develop and co-promote the anti B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy bb2121, and share 50% of US costs and profits.
Celgene has the option to manufacture and commercialise the therapy outside of the US, for which it will pay bluebird bio milestone and royalty payments.
The firms first entered into an oncology therapy research partnership in 2013 and are collaborating on a second clinical stage anti-BCMA CAR T programme, bb21217 – for the same indication.
In January, Celgene added CAR T-cell receptor technologies through the $9bn (€7.4bn) acquisition of Juno Therapeutics.
Juno had been Celgene’s immune-oncology partner since July 2015.
