Bluebird’s Zynteglo Launch Under Way, But First Revenue Will Take Months

The launch of bluebird bio’s newly approved gene therapy Zynteglo (betibeglogene autotemcel) in the US is under way, but the firm does not expect to recognize any revenue from its first commercial product until the first quarter of 2023. Bluebird will not record sales until the treatment is infused into beta-thalassemia patients, and because of the ex vivo gene therapy’s manufacturing process and quality control requirements, it will be next year by the time Zynteglo is administered commercially.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Zynteglo for the treatment of children and adults with beta-thalassemia who require regular red blood cell transfusions on 17 August, and bluebird revealed that it already is negotiating outcomes-based contracts with payers while preparing to make the gene therapy available through a