Health Care Up as Fed Minutes Inspire Defensive Move -- Health Care Roundup

Shares of health-care companies rose slightly as traders, rattled by the Federal Reserve's ambivalent minutes, sought out more defensive niches such as health insurers.

An independent panel convened by the Food and Drug Administration is reviewing Spark Therapeutics' application to market a new treatment for a hereditary vision-loss condition, a therapy that would likely be priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Shares of medical technology concern Smith & Nephew rose after reports that activist investor Elliott Management had amassed a stake in the company.

-Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 11, 2017 16:39 ET (20:39 GMT)