Bluebird Bio Withdraws Zynteglo From Germany Over Pricing

Germany Is The Only Country Where the Gene Therapy Was Marketed

After arbitrators set an unpalatably low price for the company, bluebird is withdrawing its Zyntgelo gene therapy from Germany. The company also announced it would be restructuring its workforce, with job losses expected.

Price negotiations for bluebird bio’s gene therapy Zynteglo in Germany have failed and the company is withdrawing the high-cost product from the market. Not only is Germany the first country where the one-time gene therapy for treating transfusion-dependent beta-thalassaemia (TDT) was launched, it is also currently the only EU country where the treatment had been given to patients outside of a clinical trial setting.

Zynteglo has not been approved in any other markets worldwide. It is bluebird’s first product and will serve as a...