BASEL — Novartis said on Friday, 6 November 2026, that two cases of tumours in children showed evidence of being linked to Zolgensma, its one-time gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), in a disclosure that has raised fresh questions about the long-term safety of a treatment given to more than 6,000 children around the world. The Swiss drugmaker said it had received nine reports in total of tumours in patients previously treated with Zolgensma since the therapy was first approved in 2019. In two of those cases, doctors found evidence that the carrier used to deliver the treatment — a modified virus known as a vector — had inserted its genetic material into the patients' own DNA, pointing to a possible link between the tumours and the therapy itself. Illustration: A scientist holds a vial in a gene therapy research laboratory. What Happened According to Reuters, Novartis confirmed the two linked cases in a statement on Friday, 6 November 2026. The company said the ...