Sarepta Therapeutics is pausing shipments of its gene therapy for muscular dystrophy following several patient deaths that have attracted attention from regulators.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) has placed an immediate clinical hold on Sarepta Therapeutics' investigational gene therapy trials for limb girdle muscular dystrophy following three patient deaths potentially linked to the company's treatments.

The commercial and clinical use of Elevidys was discontinued after two fatal cases of acute liver failure.

Sarepta Therapeutics will cut 500 jobs and add a serious warning on the label of its muscle-disorder gene therapy Elevidys, the drugmaker said on Wednesday, following the recent deaths of two patients who were on the medicine.