** Shares of biotech firm Beam Therapeutics fall 3.30% to $23.56
** A patient with sickle cell disease has died due to respiratory failure in an early-to-mid stage trial of company's CRISPR-based cell therapy, BEAM-101, according to an abstract
** Respiratory failure was likely related to conditioning of a chemotherapy called busulfan, which is used to prepare patients for infusion
** The death occurred four months after infusion
** Company says eight patients have been dosed with BEAM-101
** "While the patient death is unfortunate, we see the event as highlighting the need for less-toxic preconditioning options" - William Blair
** Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics' Casgevy and bluebird bio's Lyfgenia is approved for the treatment of sickle cell disease, which is a group of inherited blood disorders
** BEAM's Q3 net loss was $96.7 million, or $1.17 per share, compared with $96.1 million, or $1.22 per share, a year ago
** BEAM stock down ~15% YTD
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru)
((Sriparna.Roy@thomsonreuters.com;))
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