02:02 PM EDT, 04/02/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks advanced Wednesday afternoon with the NYSE Health Care Index and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) both rising about 0.4%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) climbed 1.6%.

In corporate news, Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) completed its purchase of Intra-Cellular Therapies. The deal is expected to reduce 2025 adjusted earnings by $0.25 a share versus a previous estimate of $0.30 to $0.35, the company said. Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) shares rose 1%.

Revvity ( RVTY ) shares climbed 1.9% after it said Wednesday the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the company's Auto-Pure 2400 liquid handling platform with the T-SPOT.TB diagnostic test for latent tuberculosis.

A US approval of Novavax's ( NVAX ) COVID-19 vaccine is in limbo after the Food and Drug Administration missed a deadline for a full approval of the treatment, The Wall Street Journal reported. Novavax ( NVAX ) shares were rising 2.1%.