Patient dies in early-stage CAR-T trial for multiple sclerosis
Bristol Myers Squibb reported that a participant in its Phase 1 CAR-T study for multiple sclerosis died after developing septic pneumonia.
In a Phase 1 trial testing an investigational CAR-T therapy for multiple sclerosis, a patient experienced ongoing motor deficits that were unresponsive to conventional autoimmune treatments. After receiving a potent immunosuppressive drug, the individual developed septic pneumonia and subsequently died, according to a company press release. Bristol Myers Squibb had previously paused its autoimmune CAR-T programs in September after observing transient inflammatory events during routine monitoring.
Around the same period, Novartis disclosed three fatalities in its own CAR-T autoimmune studies linked to immune over-activation. These incidents highlight emerging safety concerns within the expanding field of CAR-T therapies for autoimmune diseases.
