Bluebird shares sink as analysts puzzle out $1.8M sticker shock and an unexpected delay
Bluebird bio $BLUE has unveiled its price for the newly approved gene therapy Zynteglo (LentiGlobin), which came as a big surprise. And it wasn’t the only unexpected twist in today’s story.
With some analysts betting on a $900,000 price for the β-thalassemia treatment in Europe, where regulators provided a conditional early OK, bluebird CEO Nick Leschly said Friday morning that the patients who are successfully treated with their drug over 5 years will be charged twice that — $1.8 million — on the continent. That makes this drug the second most expensive therapy on the planet, just behind Novartis’ newly approved Zolgensma at $2.1 million, with analysts still waiting to see what kind of premium can be had in the US.
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