Roche has completed its $4.3 billion acquisition of Spark Therapeutics, Inc. following the receipt of regulatory approval from all government authorities required by the merger agreement.

Severin Schwan, chief executive officer of Roche, said, “We are excited about this important milestone because we believe that together, Roche and Spark will be able to significantly improve the lives of patients through innovative gene therapies. This acquisition supports our long-lasting commitment to bringing transformational therapies and innovative approaches to people around the world with serious diseases.” 

Spark Therapeutics, based in Philadelphia, PA, is a commercial company discovering, developing and delivering gene therapies for genetic diseases, including blindness, haemophilia, lysosomal storage disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Spark Therapeutics will continue to operate as an independent company within the Roche Group. 

“Today ushers in a new and promising era in the development of genetic medicines for patients and families living with inherited diseases and beyond,” said Jeffrey D. Marrazzo, co-founder and chief executive officer of Spark Therapeutics. “Spark and Roche share an ethos of imagining the unimaginable. Together, we have the potential to change the future of medicine and deliver the medicines of tomorrow today. We couldn’t be more thrilled about what’s next.”