01:54 PM EST, 12/27/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were declining Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) each shedding 0.7%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 1%.

In corporate news, UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) and Amedisys ( AMED ) agreed to extend the deadline of their planned merger as the deal faces scrutiny from the US Department of Justice over competition concerns. UnitedHealth ( UNH ) shares were down 0.5% while Amedisys ( AMED ) shares jumped 4.7%.

BioNTech (BNTX) shares were rising 0.9%. The company announced Friday separate agreements with the US National Institutes of Health and the University of Pennsylvania to settle royalty claims related to sales of its COVID-19 vaccine co-developed with Pfizer (PFE).

BeiGene ( BGNE ) said Friday the US Food and Drug Administration approved Tevimbra, its drug to treat a form of stomach cancer, in combination with chemotherapy. BeiGene ( BGNE ) shares were shedding 0.8%.