Health Care Higher As Government Shutdown Fears Fade - Health Care Roundup

Shares of health-care companies rose as fears of a government shutdown faded, helping the government-linked sector return to favor. Shares of NewLink Genetics rallied after the drug developer's immunotherapy treatment showed promise in a clinical trial on melanoma patients when used in combination with Merck's Keytruda. The immunotherapy niche was widely viewed as one of the most exciting in the fight against cancer, but that excitement was tempered somewhat by recent halts to clinical trials for Keytruda and other products. Allergan sold the patents for its popular drug Restasis to an Indian tribe in upstate New York to block rivals from challenging the patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

-Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 08, 2017 16:44 ET (20:44 GMT)