Kezar Life Sciences Inc KZR:NASDAQ

Health care stocks were mixed pre-bell Tuesday. The Health Care SPDR (XLV) was up 0.42%, and the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (IBB) was recently advancing by 0.04%.

Kezar Life Sciences (KZR) was surging past 85% after saying a phase 2 clinical trial evaluating zetomipzomib in patients with active lupus nephritis showed that 11 of 17 patients achieved an overall renal response of at least 50% reduction in urine protein to creatinine ratio at six months, while six patients achieved a complete renal response.

Sutro Biopharma (STRO) was gaining more than 14% after the company and Astellas Pharma announced an agreement to develop novel immunostimulatory antibody-drug conjugates for cancers that currently have no effective therapy available.

Decibel Therapeutics (DBTX) was up more than 11% after saying topline data from a phase 1b trial evaluating DB-020 in cancer patients receiving cisplatin chemotherapy showed 87% of patients who experienced ototoxicity, a chemotherapy side-effect that can lead to hearing loss, in one ear were protected from it in the other ear treated with DB-020.