03:54 PM EDT, 07/09/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were mixed late Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index fractionally lower and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) adding 0.4%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 0.7%.

In corporate news, Athira Pharma ( ATHA ) shares surged 29% after it said Tuesday it has dosed the last patient in a phase 2/3 trial for fosgonimeton in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Edgewise Therapeutics ( EWTX ) spiked 9.6% after JPMorgan increased its price target for the biopharmaceuticals company to $30 from $27.

CVS Health's ( CVS ) Caremark, UnitedHealth's ( UNH ) Optum, and Cigna's ( CI ) Express Scripts are among the top six pharmacy middlemen that contribute to higher drug costs and challenge the viability of independent pharmacies, the US Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday in an interim report on pharmacy benefit managers. CVS shares were rising 1.3%, UnitedHealth ( UNH ) was up 0.7% and Cigna ( CI ) added 1.3%.

Soligenix ( SNGX ) shares skyrocketed 275% after the company reported positive results of a study evaluating extended HyBryte treatment in people with early-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.