FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX Broker) - Positive study data on the weight loss drug Wegovy gave the shares of Novo Nordisk a record high on Tuesday. The papers of the pharmaceutical company jumped at noon by up to almost 17 percent to a high of 1273.80 Danish kroner. Most recently, they were up 10 percent at 1201 kroner, making them the clear leader in the Stoxx 50 index. So far this year, they are among the top stocks in the Stoxx 50, with a price increase of more than 28 percent.

In tests, the drug proved superior to the usual standard treatment for the prevention of serious cardiovascular complications such as stroke and heart attack. According to the results, the risk was reduced by one-fifth in comparison, as Novo Nordisk announced on Tuesday in Bagsvaerd, Denmark.

Wegovy achieved the best possible results in patients with pre-existing cardiac conditions, Jefferies analyst Peter Welford wrote in an initial reaction to results from the Select trial of the weight-loss drug. This probably exceeded market expectations, he said.

Wegovy's results could not have been better hoped for, wrote analyst Emily Field of Barclays Bank in her initial reaction. She called it a veritable "home run." She had expected the price reaction with a low-double-digit increase for this outcome.

In the wake of the Novo Nordisk rally, the shares of Gerresheimer also rose significantly by 9.1 percent. They thus scratched the record high of 113 euros. The specialty packaging manufacturer produces the "automatic syringes", so-called GLP-1 pens, for Wegovy and other booming weight loss products./edh/mis/ag