BMS reports patient death in autoimmune CAR-T study
Bristol Myers Squibb disclosed that a patient died in a trial of autoimmune CAR-T therapy. The disclosure comes after the company and Novartis paused similar programs during the summer. BMS also said it has an explanation for a safety signal seen in a lupus study.
Bristol Myers Squibb has reported that a patient died during a study of an autoimmune CAR-T therapy. The company has not, in the supplied material, identified the patient or the trial site.
The disclosure follows summer pauses by BMS and Novartis in similar programs. BMS also said it can explain a safety signal observed in a lupus study, according to the summary.
The death may heighten scrutiny of autoimmune CAR-T trials, potentially affecting patients who hope to enroll and clinicians weighing experimental options. Regulators and sponsors could face calls for clearer safety communication, while participants and their families may feel greater uncertainty. Because the summary offers limited details, broad conclusions about the therapy’s risk-benefit profile would be premature; the immediate impact may be on trial monitoring and patient conversations.