Bluebird Bio in advanced discussions with large commercial payers

Bluebird Bio said it is in advanced discussions with the nation’s largest commercial payers and more than 15 Medicaid agencies representing 80% of individuals with sickle cell disease in the U.S. The company added it has designed outcomes-based contract options unique to Lyfgenia that offer payers “meaningful risk sharing tied to vaso-occlusive events -related hospitalizations-a claims-based metric that is directly correlated with clinical benefit and aligned with study endpoints in the Lyfgenia clinical development program-with patients followed for three years.” A second contracting option is available specifically for state Medicaid agencies, based on direct input from these payers that predictability and operational ease are essential for states that are grappling with resource constraints.