Joana Carvalho, PhD, managing science editor —

Vascular electrical stimulation therapy (VEST), a form of local electrical stimulation applied to the skin, can lower the duration of painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Based on these findings, study investigators argue that…

The quality of life of people with sickle cell disease (SCD) and transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) — two inherited blood disorders — tends to improve if they receive a stem cell transplant or gene therapy, a review study  found. The study, “A systematic review of quality…

Bluebird Bio has paused two clinical trials of LentiGlobin, its gene therapy candidate for sickle cell disease (SCD), after learning that a patient who received treatment more than five years ago now has developed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a type of blood cancer. In line with study protocols,…

Oxbryta (voxelotor) can help ease, or fully heal, painful leg ulcers in people with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a post-hoc analysis of a Phase 3 trial. These promising findings support the launch of future trials investigating the potential benefits of Oxbryta — already conditionally approved…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the initiation of a Phase 1/2 trial investigating EDIT-301, Editas Medicine’s experimental gene editing cell therapy for  sickle cell disease (SCD). The planned open-label study, to be called RUBY, will assess the safety and efficacy of a…

The investigational gene editing therapy GPH101 will be the first potentially curative treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD) to be tested in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared GPH101 for clinical testing. With this decision, the therapy’s developer, Graphite Bio,…

Emmaus Life Sciences has launched a program that will allow eligible sickle cell disease patients in the U.S. to access its Endari (L-glutamine) medication at low cost or free of charge. Patients who currently lack insurance coverage or financial means to afford treatment may reach out to Endari’s…

Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) has launched an early access program for voxelotor in Europe and other regions outside the U.S. to allow people with hemolytic anemia associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) to have access to treatment. The early access program will be open to those…

The European Commission has approved Novartis’ Adakveo (crizanlizumab) as a preventive treatment for recurrent vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) in people, 16 and older, with sickle cell disease (SCD). The approval covers the use of Adakveo in combination with hydroxyurea (also known as hydroxycarbamide) — another approved therapy…

Cyclerion Therapeutics has decided to suspend the development of olinciguat, its investigational oral therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD), after the treatment failed to show adequate activity in a Phase 2 clinical trial, the company announced. The STRONG-SCD (NCT03285178), which completed patient enrollment…