bluebird bio, Inc. announced it has signed its first Medicaid outcomes-based agreement for LYFGENIA (lovotibeglogene autotemcel, also known as lovo-cel) with the state of Michigan. LYFGENIA is a one-time gene therapy approved for the treatment of patients 12 years of age and older with sickle cell disease and a history of vaso-occlusive events (VOEs). Approximately 50% of individuals living with sickle cell disease in the U.S. are insured by Medicaid.

bluebird is an established leader in developing and implementing innovative, value-based contracting approaches. The Company has designed outcomes-based contract options unique to LYFGENIA that offer payers meaningful risk sharing tied to VOE-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. bluebird?s outcomes-based contract offering for State Medicaid Agencies was designed with direct input from government payers to specifically address the challenges they face in adapting to provide access to one-time, transformative treatments, and reflects the Company?s unmatched experience delivering gene therapies in the commercial setting.

bluebird is in ongoing discussions with more than 15 Medicaid agencies representing 80% of Medicaid-insured individuals in the U.S. Additionally, bluebird has signed multiple outcomes-based agreements for LYFGENIA with national commercial payer organizations representing dozens of downstream plans and covering approximately 200 million U.S. lives. bluebird is also engaged with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) on its Cell and Gene Therapy Access Demonstration Model, which is anticipated to start in 2025.