Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Higher Late Afternoon
Healthcare stocks rose late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Healthcare Index adding 1.5% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) increasing 1.3%.The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) advanced 0.7%.In sector news, the US Justice Department is expected to charge about 450 defendants in alleged healthcare fraud schemes worth more than $6.5 billion, marking its largest coordinated antifraud operation to date, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing federal officials.In corporate news, AbbVie (ABBV) shares gained 1.8% after it said Tuesday that the European Commission approved its therapy Maviret to treat acute hepatitis C virus infection in adults and children aged three years and older.Merck (MRK) shares rose 3.1%. The company said Monday its investigational antibody tulisokibart met primary and secondary endpoints in a phase 3 trial of people with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.GE HealthCare Technologies (GEHC) is positioned for accelerating growth, driven by improving innovation, order momentum, and backlog, RBC Capital Markets said in a note. RBC started coverage of the company with an outperform rating and an $80 price target. GE HealthCare shares climbed 4.8%.Boundless Bio (BOLD) shares surged 80% after the company said it signed a definitive merger agreement with privately held biotech firm Serapha Bio.
