Novo Nordisk is looking to sharpen its consumer identity by rebranding as Novo. The move aims to simplify the company's market presence as it intensifies its battle for dominance in the weight-loss drug market against Eli Lilly.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca shares managed to climb despite a setback in its clinical pipeline. The British pharmaceutical giant reported that a new breast-cancer treatment failed to meet primary endpoints in a late-stage trial, yet market sentiment remained resilient, underscoring the current appetite for health-care assets regardless of individual company trial outcomes.