09:24 AM EDT, 10/08/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks were rising pre-bell Wednesday, with the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLV ) 0.2% higher and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) up 0.5%.

Zenas BioPharma ( ZBIO ) has been granted a license for the global development and commercialization rights to orelabrutinib for multiple sclerosis and all therapeutic areas other than oncology from InnoCare Pharma, the companies said. Zenas BioPharma ( ZBIO ) shares were up more than 13% premarket.

AlphaTON Capital ( ATON ) shares were up more than 143% after the company and its oncology unit Tarus Therapeutics said they have signed a non-binding letter of intent to explore tokenization of economics for mesothelioma program TT-4.

Aquestive Therapeutics ( AQST ) stock was up more than 1% after the company said it received two additional patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office for its Anaphylm sublingual film.