Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Fall Pre-Bell Tuesday

09:12 AM EDT, 09/15/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Healthcare stocks were falling pre-bell Tuesday, with the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) slightly down and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) 0.5% lower. Ascendis Pharma (ASND) will regain exclusive rights to certain drug treatments for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, including obesity, having terminated a 2024 collaboration deal with Novo Nordisk (NVO), the company said. Shares of Ascendis Pharma were down more than 2% premarket. Vera Therapeutics' (VERA) kidney disease treatment Trutakna achieved all prespecified endpoints during a final review of its Origin 3 study, with full US Food and Drug Administration approval expected in 2027, the drugmaker said. Vera Therapeutics stock was up more than 14% pre-bell. Ocular Therapeutix (OCUL) shares were up more than 2% after the company said its marketing application for Axpaxli, its experimental treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration, remains on track for submission in Q4 following its meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration.