Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Gain Late Afternoon

03:56 PM EDT, 10/22/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Healthcare stocks rose late Thursday afternoon with the NYSE Healthcare Index adding 1.7% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) gaining 1.3%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 1.1%. In corporate news, Gilead Sciences (GILD) agreed to pay $45 million to settle claims by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that it engaged in an "illegal kickback scheme that improperly influenced prescriptions" covered by Texas Medicaid, the attorney general said. Gilead shares rose 2.1%. Moderna (MRNA) shares fell 18% following a potential leak of data related to its personalized melanoma vaccine developed with Merck (MRK), Bloomberg reported. Merck dropped 1.2%. Qiagen (QGEN) agreed to be acquired by EQT Private Equity for 46.50 euros ($52.26) a share in cash, valuing the company at about 10.8 billion euros including debt. Qiagen shares rose 0.5%. United Therapeutics (UTHR) shares gained 3.6% after the company's board authorized a new $2 billion stock buyback program, available through Oct. 21, 2027.