U.S. drugmaker Pfizer said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its sickle cell disease treatment Oxbryta from all markets where it is approved, citing risks of a painful complication and deaths.

Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Centers Act. If passed, this bicameral bill would significantly improve patients’ access to sickle cell treatment nationwide, according to U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.

Pfizer is pulling its sickle cell disease (SCD) treatment voxelotor (Oxbryta) from global markets after data review showed an imbalance in deaths among patients taking the drug. "The overall benefit of the drug no longer outweighs the risk in the approved sickle cell patient population,