Health Care Climbs on Deal Hopes -- Health Care Roundup

Health-care companies rose as deal activity in the sector continued.

AstraZeneca is pushing further into vaccines with a cash deal to buy respiratory specialist Icosavax for about $1.1 billion.

That follows two multibillion dollar acquisitions unveiled by AbbVie in the last two weeks, and a major pharmacy deal in Australia.

Cigna shares gave back some of the gains associated with the collapse of its effort to buy out rival Humana.

While inflation is broadly tapering off, price pressures on health-care services are building.

Hospital and related services prices rose 6.3% in November, according to the Labor Department, the biggest 12-month gain since January 2011.

Write to Rob Curran at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-12-23 1732ET