(Updates)

** Shares of vaccine makers extend declines after President-elect Donald Trump selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States' top health agency

** U.S.-listed shares of BioNTech down ~5% to $98.41, Moderna falls 5.20% to $37.50, Novavax

down ~3% at $7, while Pfizer down 4.05% at $24.97

** Kennedy has frequently talked about tackling what he calls the "chronic disease epidemic" and is known to have spread misinformation on vaccines

** Shares in healthcare companies also drop in Europe

** Shares of U.S. drugmakers Eli Lilly down 2.7%, Merck down 3.34%, Amgen down 3.6%, Bristol Myers down 1.7%

** It is difficult to evaluate the exact impact this appointment could have on the industry until there is more information on specific policy proposals and priorities of the incoming administration on healthcare and the drug industry - Brokerage J.P.Morgan

** The broader SPDR S&P Biotech ETF down 3% in early U.S. trading

(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru)

((Sriparna.Roy@thomsonreuters.com;))