Novartis pauses CAR-T trials after three patient deaths

Novartis announced a pause on its experimental CAR-T therapy after three patients died while receiving the treatment. The company said it will halt ongoing immunology and neuroscience studies related to the therapy while it investigates the cause of the fatalities.

The decision follows a report by Endpoints News that first disclosed the deaths. Novartis has not provided further details on the specific adverse events or the stage of development of the CAR-T program.

The pause underscores the regulatory and safety challenges facing cell-based immunotherapies and may affect timelines for future data readouts.

In other news, Eli Lilly disclosed its thirteenth acquisition of the year, though details were not included in the brief report.