CAR-T therapy developers fall amid U.S. FDA investigation

Autolus Therapeutics

28/11/2023 19:05

** Shares of CAR-T cell therapy developers Gracell
Biotechnologies  GRCL.O  and Autolus Therapeutics  AUTL.O  fall
~17% and ~11%, respectively, after U.S. FDA launches
investigation into the safety risk of the therapies 
    ** FDA says it was investigating CAR-T therapies made by
companies such as Johnson & Johnson  JNJ.N  and Gilead  GILD.O 
over the risk of hospitalizations and death
    ** In afternoon trade, AUTL shares down 11.8% at $4.22,
while GRCL is down 17.4% at $4.46
    ** The therapies involve extraction of a type of white blood
cells or T-cells, re-engineering them to attack cancer and
infusing them back in the body
    ** It is estimated that about 20,000 patients have likely
been treated with CAR-T therapies, so we see the overall risk as
low - Brokerage William Blair
    ** Shares of other CAR-T cell therapy developers like
Poseida  PSTX.O , Century Therapeutics  IPSC.O , CRISPR
Therapeutics  CRSP.BN  and Nkarta  NKTX.O  down between 1.2% and
3%

 (Reporting by Puyaan Singh)
 ((Puyaan.Singh@thomsonreuters.com;))