02:03 PM EDT, 10/08/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were edging higher Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index up 0.1% and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) adding 0.3%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 0.5%.

In corporate news, Pfizer's ( PFE ) former top executives have pitched activist investor Starboard Value's plans to Chief Executive Albert Bourla and at least three other directors, the Financial Times reported. Pfizer ( PFE ) shares were steady.

PTC Therapeutics ( PTCT ) shares surged 17% after the firm said that two long-term extension studies of vatiquinone, intended for the treatment of a rare neurodegenerative disorder called Friedreich Ataxia, yielded "statistically significant" results.

Humana (HUM) is seeking a summary judgment in a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services' clawback policy, according to a court filing. Humana shares were rising 2.8%.