Health-care company stocks rose after the Food and Drug Administration expanded the pool of patients eligible for Sarepta Therapeutics' Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug, Elevidys.

The FDA decision went beyond Wall Street's best-case scenario and all but guarantees a multibillion-dollar market for Sarepta, which is basically alone in treating the Duchenne market. With families clamoring for anything that can help their children fight off a devastating disease that robs their ability to walk, market demand is unlikely to be a problem.

Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente's new unit plans to acquire North Carolina hospital system Cone Health, part of an ambitious effort to build a national network that combines insurance and care.

The boss of Swiss skincare group Galderma thinks treatments for what has been dubbed "Ozempic face" could give the company a lift as speedy weight loss from drugs used to fight obesity and diabetes has left some users looking gaunt and aged.


Write to Patrick Sullivan at patrick.sullivan@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

06-21-24 1642ET