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GlaxoSmithKline on Wednesday (April 13) said it had agreed to buy US group Sierra Oncology, a specialist in medicines for rare forms of cancer, for $1.9 billion. The purchase, worth the equivalent of £1.6 billion, aims to support the development of new medicines alongside Sierra's bone marrow cancer treatment Momelotinib. The deal, set to be completed this year, represents a near 40-percent premium to Sierra's closing share price on Tuesday, GSK said in a statement. Momelotinib could help address the "significant unmet medical needs" of patients with the blood cancer myelofibrosis and anaemia, said GSK chief commercial officer Luke Miels. "With this proposed acquisition, we have the opportunity to potentially bring meaningful new benefits to patients and further strengthen our portfolio of specialty medicines," he added.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised an innovative and first-of-its-kind gene-editing treatment for sickle-cell disease and transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia. Known as Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), the treatment is based on the innovative gene-editing tool CRISPR, for which its inventors were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2020. Casgevy is the first medicine to be licensed that uses CRISPR, and it is to be used for treating patients aged 12 and over. To date, a bone marrow transplant has been the only permanent treatment option for these life-long conditions, which in some cases can be fatal. The MHRA's authorisation came after a rigorous assessment of its safety, quality and effectiveness.