11:49 AM EDT, 04/20/2026 (MT Newswires) -- European markets were tracking lower Monday as investors are discouraged by reports that Tehran will not participate in pending peace-talks with Washington, and that President Donald Trump said an extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran is "highly unlikely" and that the Strait of Hormuz would remain blocked until an agreement is finalized.

The Stoxx Europe was falling 1%, Germany's DAX was dropping 1.2%, the FTSE 100 was down 0.7%, France's CAC was declining 1.2%, and the Swiss Market Index was moving 1.5% lower.

Rising oil prices lifted energy stocks in Monday trading as BP and Shell gained 3% and 2.4% respectively in London. RWE increased 2.3% in Frankfurt, TotalEnergies was rising close to 2% in Paris, while Eni and Equinor were up 2.8% and 2.3% respectively in Milan and Oslo.

And in corporate news, Novo Nordisk reported Monday "positive" topline results from its Phase 3 HIBISCUS trial, with etavopivat meeting both primary endpoints in sickle cell disease, significantly reducing vaso-occlusive crises and improving haemoglobin levels versus placebo.

Novo Nordisk said it plans to seek initial regulatory approval for the drug in the second half of 2026, positioning it as a potential first-in-class treatment for a disease affecting millions worldwide.

Shares of the Danish pharmaceutical company were down 1% in Copenhagen.

BHP and Mitsubishi Development have started a review of their coal and other mining assets in Queensland over concerns about the Australian state's royalty demands, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

The two companies are equal partners in the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance joint venture, which returned no profit to BHP in the six months ending Dec. 31, the report said.

BHP did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comment.

Shares of BHP lost 1.6% in London.

Sanofi said Saturday its Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine met the primary endpoint of a phase 4 trial by demonstrating a statistically lower probability of side effects compared with Moderna's newest mRNA vaccine.

Severe systemic symptoms disrupting daily activities occurred in less than 10% of Nuvaxovid patients compared to one in five for the Moderna shot, while severe injection site reactions were over 75% less frequent, Sanofi said.

Shares of the French pharmaceutical company were off 0.4% in Paris.

AstraZeneca said Monday its pivotal phase 3 study of tozorakimab demonstrated a "significant" reduction in the annual rate of moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, exacerbations in trial participants.

The population comprised former smokers, current smokers and participants throughout all blood eosinophil counts and all stages of lung function severity, according to the company.

Shares of the British pharmaceutical company were losing 0.8% in London.

GSK said Monday China's National Medical Products Administration has approved Blenrep in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone to treat certain relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients.

The approval covers adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy.

Shares of GSK were off 0.1% in London.