09:01 AM EDT, 03/26/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were edging higher premarket Tuesday as the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was inactive and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) was up 0.1% recently.

Viking Therapeutics ( VKTX ) was up more than 16% after it reported "positive results" for its potential anti-obesity drug VK2735. A 28-day phase 1 clinical trial of a pill form of the drug showed up to 5.3% mean body weight loss compared with a placebo, the company said.