01:30 PM EST, 01/24/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were higher Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index rising 0.9% and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) up 0.2%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) eased 0.2%.

In corporate news, Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) shares jumped 8.2% after it said Friday that its investigative weight loss drug amycretin led to a body weight reduction of up to 22% in an early-stage trial.