** Shares in Zealand Pharma ZELA.CO rise 6.6%, on track for their best day since June if gains hold and among top performers on the pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX
** J.P.Morgan initiates the stock at "overweight" based on its obesity drug potential, while Van Lanschot Kempen flags positive updates presented during the 2024 Obesity Week
** JPM says Zealand's amylin therapy, petrelintide, could offer similar weight loss as GLP-1 drugs such as Novo Nordisk's NOVOb.CO Wegovy, but with higher efficacy and tolerability
** Encouraging Phase Ib data has increased the likelihood of Zealand partnering up with a large cap pharmaceutical company, it adds
** JPM also expects strong data from Novo's amylin/GLP-1 combination Phase III data in December, which could provide validation of petrelintide
** Van Lanschot Kempen says Zealand's presented dataset looks "strong" among the amylin-based front
** Novo Nordisk's shares also rise 2.2% on Friday
** The Zealand shares fell around 5% on Thursday after Q3 results, though a Van Lanschot Kempen analyst said there was "nothing out of the ordinary" in the report
(Reporting by Anna Chaberska)
((Anna.chaberska@thomsonreuters.com))
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.