Top Health Care Stocks
JNJ -2.50%
PFE -1.80%
ABT -1.97%
MRK -1.24%
AMGN -1.68%
Health care stocks were retreating, including a more than 1.6% drop for the NYSE Health Care Index in recent trading. Shares of health care companies in the S&P 500 also were down almost 1.6% as a group while the Nasdaq Biotechnology index was slipping about 2.6%.
Among health care stocks moving on news:
(-) Henry Schein Inc. ( HSIC ) was down 1.9% Thursday afternoon after filing regulatory documents for the planned spinoff of its animal health business into a stand-alone business and its subsequent merger with Vets First Choice.
In other sector news:
(+) Axsome Therapeutics ( AXSM ) was marginally lower. The company said Thursday it has randomized 90% of the target number of patients with treatment-resistant depression for double-blind phase III testing of its AXS-05 drug candidate. Top-line results from the late-stage trial are due during the first three months of 2019.
(-) Boston Scientific ( BSX ) was down almost 2% after the medical device conglomerate exercised its option to acquire the remaining shares of privately held Millipede Inc for $325 million at closing following the successful completion of a first-in-human clinical study of Millipede's IRIS transcatheter annuloplasty ring system for the treatment of severe mitral regurgitation in patients who cannot tolerate open-heart surgery. Boston Scientific paid $90 million for an undisclosed stake in Millipede last January.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
