Health Care Slightly Lower Amid Defensive Move -- Health Care Roundup

Shares of health-care companies fell, but not by as much as the broad market, as traders shifted to more defensive sectors.

Merck KGaA put its consumer-health unit up for sale as it tightens its focus on developing prescription medicines.

The growing area of thoracic health could see a shift if a robotic surgery company's new product is effective, according to one brokerage. "Intuitive Surgical's flexible catheter system in development with Fosun could launch in 2019 and disrupt the roughly $6 billion lung biopsy market," said analysts at brokerage Morgan Stanley, in a research note.

Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 05, 2017 16:55 ET (20:55 GMT)