The US Food and Drug Administration is set to decide whether Luxturna , a gene therapy developed by Spark Therapeutics for people with retinal disorders , should be granted approval . Dispensed via injection , the Luxturna therapy targets the RPE65 gene , enabling the creation of a protein essential to eyesight . Spark said that more than two dozen people who have undergone the treatment experienced an improvement in their vision . Two of the treatment’s biggest competitors, Strimvelis and Kymriah, cost around $700,000 and $475,000 respectively. However , Luxturna is not a complete cure , and faces competition from rival treatments costing hundreds of thousands of dollars .
The US Food and Drug Administration is set to decide whether Luxturna , a gene therapy developed by Spark Therapeutics for people with retinal disorders , should be granted approval . Dispensed via injection , the Luxturna therapy targets the RPE65 gene , enabling the creation of a protein essential to eyesight . Spark said that more than two dozen people who have undergone the treatment experienced an improvement in their vision . However , Luxturna is not a complete cure , and faces competition from rival treatments costing hundreds of thousands of dollars .