What happened Shares of Cara Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CARA) were soaring 13.1% higher as of 10:45 a.m. EDT on Tuesday. The big gain came after S&P Global division S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that Cara will replace MTS Systems in the S&P SmallCap 600 index. So what The nice jump for Cara today makes sense. S&P Dow Jones Indices' news means that any mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the S&P SmallCap 600 index will load up on shares of Cara Therapeutics. Image source: Getty Images. However, the boost from being added to this index will only be a temporary one. After the funds have bought shares of Cara, the biotech's fortunes will depend on what happens with its business. There's reason to be optimistic on that front. Cara and its partner Vifor Pharma announced on March 8 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for Korsuva injection in treating moderate to severe pruritis (itching) in hemodialysis patients. The FDA also granted Priority Review to the NDA, which will shorten the review process. Now what The FDA should make its approval decision for Korsuva by Aug. 23. That's not the only potential catalyst for Cara on the way, though. The company expects to report top-line data from its phase 2 study of an oral version of Korsuva in treating atopic dermatitis within the next couple of months. 10 stocks we like better than Cara TherapeuticsWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Cara Therapeutics wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 24, 2021 Keith Speights has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source