The drug industry will lose a key Democratic lawmaker who was knowledgeable about the industry, if not always a friend.[2408448] Biotech is booming halfway into the year, with the XBI index gaining 19% over the past month and up 30% for the year.[2408453] A year after being bought out of bankruptcy, Bluebird Bio has been transformed under new ownership, with plans to dominate the market for sickle cell disease gene therapies by 2030.[2408456]