08:58 AM EDT, 08/03/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Healthcare stocks were rising pre-bell Monday, with the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) 1.2% higher and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) advancing by 0.5%.

AstraZeneca ( AZN ) is in talks with Bristol Myers Squibb ( BMY ) about a potential combination that would create a pharmaceutical company valued at nearly $400 billion, the Financial Times reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. Astrazeneca ( AZN ) stock was 7% lower, while Bristol Myers Squibb ( BMY ) shares were up more than 4% premarket.