03:49 PM EDT, 06/18/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were decreasing late Wednesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index down 0.2% and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) easing 0.1%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 0.4%.

In sector news, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. is weighing a proposal for a key government vaccine advisory panel to scrutinize vaccines with aluminum ingredients, Bloomberg reported. A review could impact at least two dozen vaccines, the report said.

In corporate news, Zoetis ( ZTS ) shares were falling 3.7% after Stifel downgraded the stock to hold from buy and cut its price target to $160 from $165.

Gilead Sciences (GILD) shares added 0.3% after the drugmaker said the US Food and Drug Administration has approved its Yeztugo, its twice-yearly injectable for HIV prevention.

Caris Life Sciences (CAI) shares surged 23% in their Nasdaq debut Wednesday after the company priced its IPO of 23.5 million shares at $21 each.

Grail (GRAL) shares jumped 13% after the firm said it has seen better cancer detection results from an analysis of the first 25,578 participants in its Pathfinder 2 study, compared with the previous Pathfinder study.

Maia Biotechnology (MAIA) shares popped 9% after the company said it has signed a clinical master supply agreement with Roche

for hard-to-treat cancer therapies.