David Meek bought Bluebird Bio last year for the pharma industry equivalent of loose change. The company was on the brink of bankruptcy. In 12 months, he says, it’s been transformed.

In a swaggering interview, one of the first he’s given since the deal, Meek lambasted competitors and claimed the company would dominate the market for sickle cell disease gene therapies for years to come. By 2030, he said the company — now rebranded as Genetix — would be treating 1,000 patients per year. This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus daily coverage and analysis of the biotech sector — by subscribing to STAT+.

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