Health care stocks edged higher Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index adding 0.1% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) up 0.2%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 0.9%.

In corporate news, Novocure (NVCR) shares jumped past 24% after the firm said the US Food and Drug Administration has approved its Optune Pax wearable medical device to treat adult patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer concomitant with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) is planning to boost its investment in Ireland where it will make its Wegovy weight-loss pill for markets outside the US, Bloomberg reported, citing an interview with Mike Doustdar, the company's CEO. Novo shares were easing 0.3%.

Icon (ICLR) said Thursday its audit committee initiated an internal investigation in late October into the company's accounting practices and controls. The investigation focuses primarily on revenue recognition from fiscal year 2023 through 2025, the company said. Its shares dropped 36%.