03:33 PM EST, 12/16/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks declined late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index falling 1.6% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) dropping 1.4%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) eased 0.5%.

In corporate news, Adagene ( ADAG ) shares rose 3.6% after it said the US Food and Drug Administration granted fast track designation to its muzastotug drug in combination with Merck's ( MRK ) Keytruda to treat adults with microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer without active liver metastases. Merck ( MRK ) shares were down 1.7%.