European markets close higher ahead of Christmas shutdown,Novo Nordisk resumes recovery
European markets closed higher on Tuesday, in a shortened trading day for Christmas Eve.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 provisionally ended the session around 0.2% higher. Tech stocks were among those leading the gains, following a strong trading session on Monday for U.S.-listed technology shares.
London’s FTSE 100 and the French CAC 40 index both ended the session in positive territory, with sectors across the board seeing gains ahead of the Christmas shutdown.
Novo Nordisk resumed its rally on Tuesday, rising to the top of the Stoxx 600 and adding 5.7% by the closing bell. Shares of the Danish pharmaceuticals giant were recovering from last week’s major sell-off, which followed disappointing results from the trial of its CagriSema weight loss drug.
Elsewhere in European pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca
said Tuesday it had voluntarily withdrawn its EU marketing application for its datopotamab deruxtecan lung cancer treatment. The company said the decision, made alongside co-developer Daiichi Sankyo, “was informed by feedback from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency.”
Back in September, disappointing results from the clinical trial on which the application was based dented AstraZeneca’s share price. Shares of the company were up 0.1% at the end of the Christmas Eve session.(Cay)
Source: CNBC
