Patient dies in Bristol Myers Squibb’s experimental CAR-T therapy trial

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Bristol Myers Squibb reported Friday that a patient died after receiving its experimental CAR-T treatment in an early autoimmune trial, adding to safety concerns about a growing area of ​​research.

In a phase 1 trial that tested the treatment for multiple sclerosis, a disease that causes muscle weakness and extreme fatigue, the patient experienced motor symptoms that did not resolve with standard autoimmune treatments. They were then given a powerful immunosuppressant, but developed septic pneumonia and died, Bristol said in a news release.

In a subsequent statement sent to STAT, Bristol said this patient had been treated for a series of other complications before receiving CAR-T treatment, “confounding our ability to determine the root cause of the problem.”