Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Softer Monday Afternoon

01:52 PM EDT, 10/19/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Healthcare stocks fell Monday afternoon with the NYSE Healthcare Index declining 0.6% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) dropping 0.4%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 1.3%. In corporate news, Silence Therapeutics (SLN) shares more than doubled after the company agreed to be acquired by Merck KGaA in Darmstadt, Germany, for $1.3 billion in cash. Novartis (NVS) halted its phase 2 study of iptacopan in lupus nephritis due to "strategic considerations," the company confirmed. The shares were little changed. EyePoint Pharmaceuticals (EYPT) shares fell 86%. The company said it plans to cut 53% of its workforce and end its late-stage trials of Duravyu for wet age-related macular degeneration early after the drug failed to meet the primary endpoint. Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (RARE) and Baylor Research Institute entered into a settlement agreement with Navinta to resolve patent litigation related to Dojolvi oral liquid, according to a regulatory filing. Ultragenyx shares gained 2.7%.