Health care stocks rose Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index adding 2.2% and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advancing 2%.
The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) climbed 2.5%.
In corporate news, Novo Nordisk (NVO) has reduced the price of its weight management drug Wegovy by up to 33% in India, Reuters reported. Novo shares were up 6.8%.
Surmodics (SRDX) shares surged 49% after the company said the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied a request by the Federal Trade Commission and certain state regulators for a preliminary injunction that would have blocked its planned acquisition by a GTCR affiliate.
Cytokinetics (CYTK) is expected to launch aficamten in 2026 with a potentially differentiated risk evaluation and mitigation strategy that could boost demand, RBC Capital Markets said in a Monday note. RBC reiterated an outperform rating for Cytokinetics and raised its price target to $87 from $82. Cytokinetics shares rose 4.1%.