Bluebird Bio CAR-T delays multiple myeloma progression by one year, but is that enough?

Multiple myeloma patients treated with an experimental CAR-T therapy developed by Bluebird Bio and licensed to Celgene went nearly one year before their cancer progressed, according to updated study results presented Friday night at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The durability of responses to Bluebird’s CAR-T, called BB2121, is a focal point for investors at this year’s ASCO meeting. The exact number — median progression-free survival of 11.8 months — effectively meets the lower end of expectations, which ranged as high as 15 months, based on analyst reports.