Biotech Stock Rises After FDA Approves Non-Opioid Painkiller

Core Viewpoint - Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc's stock increased by 6% to $465.02 following the FDA's approval of its new non-opioid painkiller, Journavx, marking the first new class of pain treatment approved in over 20 years [1] Group 1: Stock Performance - Vertex Pharmaceuticals' stock has risen 15.7% since the beginning of 2025 and has broken back above the 250-day moving average, which previously provided support before a recent pullback [2] - The stock's current price of $465.02 reflects a positive market reaction to the FDA approval [1] Group 2: Analyst Reactions - Scotiabank raised its price target for Vertex Pharmaceuticals by $3 to $433 in response to the FDA approval [1] Group 3: Options Trading Activity - Options trading has seen significant activity with 8,427 calls and 2,690 puts exchanged, which is six times the typical volume for this time [3] - The most popular option is the weekly 1/31 417.50-strike put, with new positions being sold to open [3] Group 4: Sentiment Analysis - There has been a shift in sentiment, with puts being more popular than usual over the last 10 weeks, as indicated by a 50-day put/call volume ratio of 1.18, ranking higher than 89% of readings from the past year [4]