Health-care companies rose as traders bought into defensive sectors less vulnerable to the effects of inflation.
Biogen shares fell after the biotech giant reported slow uptake of its new Alzheimer's disease drug Aduhelm in the third-quarter, amid hesitation and complications among doctors considering prescribing the new drug.
Shares of Novavax slid after a report said that the pharmaceutical company was running into difficulties manufacturing a Covid-19 vaccine that met regulators' quality standards. The Covid 19 vaccine, which has shown promise in clinical trials, would be Novavax's first vaccine.
Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
10-20-21 1725ET
