Bluebird Bio has moved a step closer to receiving European approval for the first gene therapy designed to treat beta-thalassemia. The company's treatment, Lentiglobin, has been recommended for approval by the the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, the drug-reviewing arm of EU. Lentiglobin works by using an inactivated virus to insert a healthy copy of the beta-globin gene into a patient’s bone marrow, producing red blood cells and reducing the need for transfusions. A final decision on whether to approve the treatment is expected within the next three months.
Bluebird Bio has moved a step closer to receiving European approval for the first gene therapy designed to treat beta-thalassemia. The company's treatment, Lentiglobin, has been recommended for approval by the EU's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, the drug-reviewing arm of the European Medicines Agency. Lentiglobin works by using an inactivated virus to insert a healthy copy of the beta-globin gene into a patient’s bone marrow, producing red blood cells and reducing the need for transfusions. A final decision on whether to approve the treatment is expected within the next three months.