02:12 PM EDT, 04/11/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks advanced Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index adding 1.9% and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) rising 1.7%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) spiked 3.1%.

In sector news, the US Food and Drug Administration's plan to decrease preclinical animal study requirements for investigational new drug applications could be positive for the biotech sector as it may further encourage innovation, RBC Capital Markets said. Antibody innovators like Regeneron Pharmaceuticals ( REGN ) , Amgen ( AMGN ) , Viridian Therapeutics ( VRDN ) , BeiGene ( ONC ) , Xencor ( XNCR ) , and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical ( RARE ) stand to benefit the most from the new approach, the note added.

In corporate news, CeriBell ( CBLL ) shares jumped past 35%. The company said it was insulated from US tariffs until at least Q4.

GSK (GSK) Chief Executive Emma Walmsley said the company has taken precautionary steps to protect its global operations from possible US tariffs on medicines, Bloomberg reported, citing an interview held in London. GSK shares rose 1.5%.

Amgen ( AMGN ) shares rose 1.7% after it said Friday that a phase 3 trial evaluating Imdelltra as a treatment for patients with small cell lung cancer met its primary endpoint at a planned interim analysis.