09:15 AM EDT, 10/21/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were leaning lower premarket Monday with the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLV ) marginally declining and the iShares Biotechnology ETF ( IBB ) recently down 0.4%.

Sanofi ( SNY ) said it has entered into binding talks to sell a 50% controlling stake in French life sciences company Opella to CD&R in a deal valuing the company at about 16 billion euros ($17.37 billion). Sanofi ( SNY ) shares were 0.9% lower pre-bell.

Ontrak ( OTRK ) shares were down nearly 3% after the company filed a preliminary prospectus Friday for the sale of up to about 6.5 million common shares that are issuable upon exercise of outstanding public warrants.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals ( IONS ) shares were up 0.8% after the company said the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended approval of the company and AstraZeneca's ( AZN ) Wainzua drug to treat hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis in the European Union.