Healthcare stocks were mixed Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Healthcare Index easing 0.2% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) fractionally higher.
The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) climbed 1.8%.
In corporate news, Merck (MRK) and Pfizer (PFE) raised their respective full-year sales outlooks on Tuesday, as both pharmaceutical giants logged better-than-expected sales for Q2. Merck shares rose 1.2%, and Pfizer added 1.8%.