Health-care companies rose as traders bet outbreaks related to the Omicron variant would bolster demand for vaccines.
The British government warned that Covid-19 infections caused by the Omicron variant are doubling every two or three days, prompting new restrictions in England, including a work-from-home order and a requirement for proof of vaccination for indoor venues such as nightclubs.
Pfizer and BioNTech said a third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine neutralized the Omicron variant in laboratory tests but that the two-dose regimen was significantly less effective at blocking the virus.
Pharmaceutical maker AbbVie's Allergan unit agreed to pay up to $200 million to New York state and two New York counties to settle claims that it helped create a public nuisance by allowing opioids to flood the region, according to the company and the office of state Attorney General Letitia James.
Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
12-08-21 1710ET
