FTSE 100 news / Companies and sectors / Pharma and healthcare / 30 September 2026
Pharma and healthcare: sector news on Wednesday 30 September 2026
Average tone +0.7 (neutral) across 5 companies with relevant coverage, from 48 stories.
Company by company
| Company | Tone | Stories | What the coverage was about |
|---|---|---|---|
| AstraZeneca | +3.3 | 35 | Coverage was dominated by AstraZeneca's $2 billion equity investment in Summit Therapeutics, which was widely seen as a strategic oncology move and drew supportive analyst comment. |
| GSK | +8.7 | 7 | Coverage was mostly positive, led by Jefferies keeping its buy rating and Berenberg setting a 2,200p target, with attention on the B7H3 cancer programme. |
| Convatec | +3.0 | 3 | Coverage was light, with a market report noting Convatec shares advanced and outperformed the market on Tuesday. |
| Haleon | −6.8 | 2 | Coverage centred on JPMorgan cutting its price target on Haleon, with the shares falling as a result. |
| Smith & Nephew | −4.7 | 1 | The only relevant coverage was an analyst downgrade of Smith & Nephew to Add by AlphaValue/Baader Europe, which leans mildly negative. |
Strongest stories in the sector
- +10.0 Jefferies keeps buy on GSK, sees 35% upside on promising B7H3 cancer drug program
Jefferies keeps buy, sees 35% upside on cancer programme. - +10.0 GSK retains ‘buy’ rating at Jefferies as B7H3 cancer programme seen as underappreciated
Jefferies buy rating; B7H3 programme seen as underappreciated. - +8.3 Re-entering the Dragon: GSK returns to China after 12 years in blood cancer drug push
Return to China in blood cancer drugs signals expansion. - +7.5 AstraZeneca's $2 Billion Investment in Summit Therapeutics Seen as 'Win-Win,' UBS Says
UBS calls the investment win-win. - +7.5 GSK stock gets a GBp 2,200.00 target from Berenberg
Berenberg sets a price target of 2,200p. - −7.5 Why Did JPMorgan Turn Colder On Haleon (LSE:HLN) This Week, And What Is Behind The Growth Worry?
JPMorgan turned more cautious, citing growth worries. - +6.7 Hutchmed, AstraZeneca Submit Lung Cancer Drug Application for ORPATHYS-TAGRISSO Combination to U.S. FDA
US FDA application submitted for lung cancer combination. - +6.7 Bernstein Maintains AstraZeneca(AZN.US) With Buy Rating, Maintains Target Price $267.63
Bernstein maintains Buy rating. - +6.7 Spotlight On: GSK's HBV hopeful tops FDA's October agenda
Hepatitis B drug candidate features on FDA's October agenda. - −6.3 Haleon stock falls 1.99 percent as JPMorgan cuts target
Shares fell after JPMorgan cut its price target. - +5.8 AstraZeneca boards the PD-1/VEGF ship with $2B Summit investment
AstraZeneca enters PD-1/VEGF space with $2B investment. - +5.0 AstraZeneca buys into Summit, UniQure drops on 4-year data, FDA on a roll
Reports AstraZeneca's equity investment in Summit; strategic oncology move.
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