Global Blood down on 24-week sickle cell readout

Global Blood Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:GBT) lost $7 (15%) to $40.05 on Friday after updated Phase IIa data in sickle cell disease patients showed that voxelotor (formerly GBT440) led to a lower hemoglobin response rate than previously reported data had shown.

At the European Hematology Association meeting in Stockholm, the company presented 24-week data from the open-label Phase IIa HOPE-KIDS 1 (GBT440-007) trial showing that once-daily 900 mg oral voxelotor led to an increase in hemoglobin of at least 1 g/dL in nine (43%) of 21 evaluable sickle cell disease patients ages 12-17. The median increase in hemoglobin was 0.7 g/dL...