02:02 PM EDT, 05/20/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks advanced Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) each adding 0.4%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 1.8%.

In corporate news, Pfizer ( PFE ) secured exclusive global rights, excluding China, to biopharmaceutical firm 3SBio's cancer treatment candidate in a licensing deal worth up to $6.05 billion. Pfizer ( PFE ) shares gained 2.1%.

The US Food and Drug Administration plans to require new clinical trials prior to approval of COVID-19 boosters for healthy Americans under the age of 65, agency leaders said Tuesday in a post published on the New England Journal of Medicine. Moderna ( MRNA ) shares were rising past 8%.

NeurAxis' (NRXS) shares jumped more than 64% after the company said the US Food and Drug Administration granted clearance to expand the use of its IB-Stim device to treat functional abdominal pain linked to functional dyspepsia and nausea in patients aged 8 to 21.