Bristol Myers discloses patient death in early-stage cell therapy trial
Bristol Myers Squibb reported a patient death in an early-stage trial of its CAR-T therapy zola-cel. Shares fell 2.5% in early trading, Reuters reported.
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what happened
Bristol Myers Squibb said on Friday that a patient had died in an early-stage trial of its experimental CAR-T cell therapy zolacabtagene autoleucel, known as zola-cel. The patient had highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis, a autoimmune condition of the central nervous system, and developed septic pneumonia after high-dose chemotherapy. The patient died the next day, 44 days after the infusion, according to the company, which Reuters cited. Shares of the drugmaker were 2.5% lower in early trading.
In September the company voluntarily paused studies of zola-cel "out of an abundance of caution" while it reviews safety data. Novartis had earlier paused eight clinical trials of its experimental cell therapy rap-cel.
why it matters
The event is limited to one company's pipeline, but repeated safety pauses in cell therapy can weigh on investor sentiment toward CAR-T programs across the sector.
market impact
Shares of Bristol Myers: CAR-T safety concerns weigh on the stock; cell therapy sector under scrutiny
tags
instruments
sources
- Bristol Myers discloses patient death in early-stage cell therapy study — Reuters, 23 October 2026 at 15:00 UTC
- Bristol Myers discloses patient death in early-stage cell therapy study — Reuters, 23 October 2026 at 15:21 UTC
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