Patient dies after receiving Bristol Myers experimental autoimmune CAR-T therapy zola-cel

A participant in Bristol Myers Squibb’s multiple sclerosis trial died 44 days after being infused with the experimental cell therapy known as zola-cel. The company disclosed that the patient developed late‑onset motor symptoms that were unresponsive to steroids and other medications.

The worsening condition progressed to septic pneumonia, which ultimately led to the patient’s death. Bristol Myers noted that no other deaths have been observed in this study or in any other autoimmune disease trial involving zola-cel.

The firm highlighted early data suggesting the therapy might reset the immune system in people with multiple sclerosis, but the fatal outcome adds to ongoing safety concerns surrounding rapidly manufactured cellular medicines. Earlier this year, both Bristol Myers and Novartis paused several autoimmune cell‑therapy studies due to similar safety issues.

In related news, Gilead Sciences paid nearly $1.3 billion for a candidate that could challenge Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved psoriasis drug, a deal that has drawn attention from the U.S. Treasury as it scrutinizes Chinese‑linked transactions.