Ophthalmic gene therapy Luxturna wins EU backing

23 November 2018

Switzerland-based Novartis (NOVN: VX) has won European approval for the one-time gene therapy Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec). The treatment was approved in the USA in late December 2017.

The drug has been approved to treat vision loss due to a genetic mutation in both copies of the RPE65 gene, for people who have enough viable retinal cells.

Luxturna was developed and is commercialized in the USA by Spark Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ONCE). The firm agreed terms with Novartis in January for an ex-US commercialization deal, worth over $100 million up front, and up to $170 million in total.

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