Healthcare stocks rose Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Healthcare Index and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) each adding about 0.8%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) increased 0.2%.

In corporate news, Novo Nordisk (NVO) is seeking a preliminary US court injunction to immediately block advertising by Eli Lilly (LLY) for its obesity and diabetes drugs, escalating the companies' legal dispute over weight-loss drug marketing, Reuters reported Friday. Novo shares rose 1.6%, and Lilly was up 1.2%.