Healthcare stocks were edging higher pre-bell Thursday, with the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) up 0.3% and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) advancing by 0.5%.
Hutchmed (HCM) shares were up more than 11% after the company said its unit licensed rights to GSK (GSK) to develop and commercialize experimental cancer treatment HMPL-A830 outside greater China.
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (RARE) shares were down more than 46% after the company said its phase 3 study of apazunersen in Angelman syndrome failed to achieve the primary endpoint or a key secondary endpoint.
Liquidia (LQDA) was up more than 1% after the company said the US Food and Drug Administration has granted fast-track designation to Yutrepia inhalation powder to treat Raynaud's phenomenon associated with systemic sclerosis.