British News Agency

The Stoxx 600 index across Europe closed just below the horizontal line on Wednesday due to mixed movements in major exchanges in London, where an early closing was announced.

Shares of Novo Nordisk in Copenhagen Stock Exchange rose after receiving FDA approval for the first GLP-1 pill, which enabled the index to reach a new record closing level on Tuesday. Novo Nordisk's stock price continued to rise on Wednesday, closing the session with a 9.2% increase.

French pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced on Tuesday that it would acquire U.S.-based Dynavax for $2.2 billion. Dynavax markets an adult hepatitis B vaccine and is developing a shingles vaccine candidate. Sanofi’s stock closed down 0.3%.

Sportswear brand Puma was among the most active stocks on Wednesday after its share price fell by 1.6%. The German company announced a €500 million bridge loan and a €108 million loan on December 18, and was the subject of takeover rumors earlier this month. The stock has lost more than 50% of its value since the start of the year.