03:46 PM EDT, 09/12/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks declined late Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index falling 0.7% and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) dropping 0.8%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 1.6%.

In corporate news, health officials in the Trump administration are planning to link coronavirus vaccines to the deaths of 25 children, the Washington Post reported. Pfizer ( PFE ) shares fell 4%, BioNTech (BNTX) dropped 8%, Moderna ( MRNA ) declined 7.4% and Novavax ( NVAX ) shed 3.7%.

Novartis ( NVS ) shares dropped 3% after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to sell from neutral and trimmed its price target to $118 from $119.

AstraZeneca ( AZN ) has paused a planned 200 million pound ($271.3 million) investment in its Cambridge research hub, a project first announced in March 2024 that was expected to create 1,000 jobs, Reuters reported. AstraZeneca ( AZN ) shares fell 2%.

Sangamo Therapeutics ( SGMO ) shares dropped 4.1%. The company said Prathyusha Duraibabu will resign from her role as chief financial officer, effective Oct. 1, to assume a senior leadership position with a privately held AI company.