03:32 PM EST, 02/12/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were softer late Wednesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index shedding 0.4% and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) easing 0.1%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 0.5%.

In corporate news, Novo Nordisk's ( NVO ) semaglutide, sold under the brand name Ozempic, helped mitigate alcohol cravings in adults with alcohol use disorder in a clinical trial, researchers said in findings published Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry. Novo shares were down 2.3%.