4 Biotechs Boosted By Spark Therapeutic's FDA News

Spark Therapeutics Inc ONCE saw its name transition from Wall Street headlines to Main Street headlines after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted favorably on the company's therapy.

Spark develops a gene therapy treatment called Luxturna for a rare inherited blindness disease, which the FDA voted unanimously last week to recommend approval of the therapy.

"This is the first time that a genetic therapy has been used to treat an inherited disease in the United States," CBS News medical contributor Dr. Tara Narula explained. "This disorder we are talking about, LCA is a disorder that has no treatment. It has no cure."

If ultimately approved, Spark could become the first ever gene therapy company that offers a therapy for the treatment of an inherited disease.

Spark's favorable FDA ruling has helped boost other gene therapy stocks even though the overall risk profile remains the same, STAT News' Adam Feuerstein reported. This may be due to the fact that Spark's advisory panel "ranked among the most compelling I've ever heard" and "underscores the incredible potential" for the entire gene therapy industry to improve many lives.

Here is a roundup of the gene therapy stocks Feuerstein highlighted, all of which are getting as boost in Monday's session:

• Spark: Up 68.83 percent since the start of 2017.
• Bluebird bio Inc BLUE: Up 438 percent since its 2013 initial public offering.
• Abeona Therapeutics Inc ABEO: Up 234 percent since the start of 2017.
• Voyager Therapeutics Inc VYGR: Up 82 percent over the past year.

Related Links:

All The Sell-Side Responses To Spark Therapeutics' Strong AdCom Meeting On Luxturna

3 Highlights From A Spark Therapeutics Fireside Chat