(new: headline, current share prices, share price development of Eli Lilly, further analyst opinion)

KOPENHAGEN/FRANKFURT/NEW YORK - (dpa-AFX) - Positive study data on the weight loss drug Wegovy not only gave the shares of Danish insulin manufacturer Novo Nordisk a record high on Tuesday. Investors also enjoyed bests at German specialty packaging manufacturer Gerresheimer and U.S. pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. The latter also benefited from good quarterly data and a renewed increase in annual targets.

Novo Nordisk, after a jump to 1275 Danish kroner, recently maintained a plus of almost 16 percent to 1262 kroner. They thus led the rather short list of winners in the Stoxx 50 index unchallenged. The shares have also led the way so far this year, with a price increase of almost 35 percent.

In tests, the drug Wegovy 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, Novo Nordisk reported.

This means 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. Market expectations were probably exceeded.

A better result could not have been hoped for, says analyst Emily Field of the British bank Barclays. She spoke of a veritable "home run". The price reaction with a low-double-digit increase she had expected for this outcome.

Richard Vosser of the U.S. bank JPMorgan was positively surprised by the reduction in the number of serious cardiac events in overweight adults, as he had expected only a 15 percent drop. He sees the study results for Wegovy as a mog revolutionary turning point in the treatment of obesity.

In the wake of the Novo-Nordisk rally, Gerresheimer shares also reached a record high of 114.60 euros. Most recently, they maintained a 10.8 percent gain to 114.20 euros at the top of the MDax. Since the beginning of the year, the gain adds up to almost 82 percent, which means one of the top index places. The special packaging manufacturer produces the "automatic syringes", so-called GLP-1 pens, for Wegovy and other booming weight loss preparations.

Shares in Eli Lilly jumped to a record high of just over $523 at the start of trading in the U.S., and were last seen gaining another 13.7 percent to $516.34. The Americans are conducting a similar study to Novo Nordisk for their Wegovy competitor Mounjaro. In the meantime, the US company has submitted an application for approval of the diabetes drug as a weight-lowering agent in its home country./gl/he