Bristol Myers reports patient death in autoimmune CAR-T trial and explains summer pause

Bristol Myers Squibb disclosed that a participant in its autoimmune CAR-T cell therapy study has died.

The company said the death occurred during the trial and is under investigation, with details pending.

Bristol Myers noted that earlier this summer it and Novartis had temporarily halted similar CAR-T programs to review safety data, and the pause remains in effect while the investigation proceeds.

The incident highlights ongoing safety concerns for CAR-T approaches targeting autoimmune diseases, a field still in early clinical development.