Blood Cancer United Buys Luvelta for Kids
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- Blood Cancer United announced Thursday it is purchasing the remaining supply of Luvelta, a discontinued investigational cancer drug, to keep it available for patients.
- Blood Cancer United will also acquire the investigational new drug designation and run the compassionate‑use program for children with a rare blood cancer, providing the medication at no cost while supplies last.
- Luvelta (Luveltamab Tazevibulin) is an antibody‑drug‑conjugate targeting the folate receptor FOLR1, originally developed for lung and ovarian tumors, and can serve as a bridge to stem‑cell transplantation for a subset of acute myeloid leukemia patients.
- Sutro Biopharma discontinued development of Luvelta in March 2025 to prioritize other drugs, which eliminated the prior compassionate‑use program.
- E. Anders Kolb, president and CEO of Blood Cancer United, said the purchase aims to maintain treatment access while the organization pushes for clearer regulatory pathways, shared trial infrastructure, and incentives for pediatric therapies.
- Nancy Goodman, patient advocate and founder of Kids v Cancer, hailed the model as a “terrific” way to de‑risk pediatric cancer drug development and hopes it can be replicated.
- Blood Cancer United estimates the current supply, which expires in 2028, will cover roughly 20 new patients per year for a few years and plans stability testing for possible shelf‑life extension.
Why it matters: Children with rare acute myeloid leukemia gain continued access to a life‑saving bridge therapy that would otherwise disappear, while the drug’s developer, Sutro Biopharma, forfeits any future commercial upside. The nonprofit’s purchase also highlights a rare model for sustaining pediatric oncology drugs when market forces cut off development.
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