Health-care companies fell amid mixed earnings.

Shares of British drugmaker AstraZeneca rose slightly after it posted second-quarter operating earnings and revenue ahead of the mean analyst target, as its expansion into oncology paid off. AstraZeneca is also among the leading developers of Covid-19 vaccines.

Health insurer Cigna shares fell despite higher-than-anticipated second-quarter earnings growth. Cigna was the latest health insurer to report benefits from the drop in discretionary health-care utilization in the second quarter, echoing Anthem, UnitedHealth Group and others.

Shares of health insurers have gained steadily during earnings season. The Food and Drug Administration is nearing a decision to authorize emergency use of antibody-rich blood plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients for treating those infected with the coronavirus, The Wall Street Journal reported.


 Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@dowjones.com