01:15 PM EDT, 06/12/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were higher Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index rising 0.8% and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) up 0.5%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) advanced 0.8%.

In corporate news, BioNTech (BNTX) on Thursday agreed to buy CureVac ( CVAC ) in an all-stock deal with an equity value of about $1.25 billion as the German biotech company looks to strengthen its oncology portfolio. CureVac ( CVAC ) shares jumped 37% and BioNTech added 0.4%.