Shares fell on Monday, weighed down by losses in pharmaceutical stocks, although shares of Pfizer Inc's Indian arm jumped on positive data for the parent firm's experimental pill against Covid-19.
The blue chip NSE Nifty 50 index fell 0.30% to 17,863.05 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex fell 0.29% to 59,895.40 by 0401 GMT.
Markets had gained in Thursday's special one-hour trading session and were shut on Friday for the festive season of Diwali.
On Monday, shares of Pfizer Ltd gained as much as 8.3% after its parent said on Friday that its experimental Covid-19 antiviral pill cut by 89% the chance of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of severe disease.
The Nifty Pharma Index lost 1.97%, weighed down by a 7.9% fall in active pharmaceutical ingredient maker Divi's Laboratories, despite the company posting strong September-quarter results on Saturday.
Divi's makes the API for generic versions of Pfizer rival Merck's Covid-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir.
Broader Asian markets were mixed as investors looked ahead to a reading on US inflation later in the week.
{{/usCountry}}Broader Asian markets were mixed as investors looked ahead to a reading on US inflation later in the week.
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