09:16 AM EDT, 05/24/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were advancing pre-bell Friday with the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLV ) 0.5% higher and the iShares Biotechnology ETF ( IBB ) recently up 0.8%.

Guardant Health ( GH ) rallied past 15% after saying a panel of the US Food and Drug Administration's Medical Devices Advisory Committee has recommended approval of the company's Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening in adults who are at least 45 years old and at average risk for the disease.

Exact Sciences ( EXAS ) said it will present 10 abstracts showing its screening and diagnostic portfolio, including new data confirming the predictive and prognostic value of the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test. Exact Sciences ( EXAS ) fell by over 5% premarket.

Verastem Oncology (VSTM) reported that an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating avutometinib and defactinib in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in 41 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer reached an interim partial response rate of 83%. Verastem Oncology tumbled by over 60% pre-bell.