FTSE 100 news / Companies and sectors / Pharma and healthcare / 1 October 2026
Pharma and healthcare: sector news on Thursday 1 October 2026
Average tone +2.0 (slightly positive) across 5 companies with relevant coverage, from 45 stories.
Company by company
| Company | Tone | Stories | What the coverage was about |
|---|---|---|---|
| AstraZeneca | +7.0 | 20 | Coverage centred on AstraZeneca's $2bn investment in Summit Therapeutics for cancer drug collaboration, which brokers praised and which saw the shares lead FTSE 100 healthcare higher. |
| GSK | +5.0 | 20 | Coverage was mostly positive, centred on GSK's progress with Wave's siRNA liver programme, continued Gates funding for TB research and a Jefferies view that its cancer pipeline is undervalued. |
| Smith & Nephew | +2.0 | 3 | Coverage mixed a new EVOS PELVIC trauma system launch and reported first-half growth of 4.60 percent with a piece on scrutiny over leadership and debt headlines. |
| Convatec | −2.0 | 1 | Coverage focused on Convatec continuing to return cash to shareholders while a US wound care price cut weighs on it. |
| Haleon | −2.0 | 1 | The only relevant coverage asked whether investors are rotating away from Haleon and other defensive shares as bond yields ease and the FTSE 100 trades higher. |
Strongest stories in the sector
- +10.0 GSK's cancer pipeline undervalued, says Jefferies after science chief chat
Jefferies says cancer pipeline undervalued. - +9.2 Brokers applaud AstraZeneca's $2bn Summit bet
Brokers positive on the Summit investment - +9.2 AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN) Wins FDA Priority Review For IMFINZI In Bladder Cancer
FDA priority review for Imfinzi in bladder cancer - +9.2 GSK stock: company announces oncology deal and positive Jideytro data
Oncology deal and positive Jideytro data. - +8.3 AstraZeneca to Invest $2 Billion in Summit Therapeutics, Collaborate on Cancer Drugs
$2bn investment and collaboration in cancer drugs, strategic pipeline expansion - +8.3 Hansoh’s Tagrisso rival loses EU approval after AstraZeneca legal challenge
Legal challenge removed rival's EU approval, protecting Tagrisso - +8.3 GSK (NYSE:GSK): You Know It For Vaccines, But It Is Reinventing Itself as a Precision Cancer Player
Positive view of GSK's shift to precision oncology. - +7.5 AstraZeneca commits $2bn to advance ADC combination medicines for cancer
$2bn commitment to cancer combination medicines - +7.5 Why Did AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN) Lead FTSE 100 Healthcare Higher After Its Big Bet On Summit Therapeutics?
Led FTSE 100 healthcare higher after Summit deal - +7.5 AstraZeneca Seeks FDA Approval for Savolitinib Plus Tagrisso in Lung Cancer That Resists Tagrisso Through MET Changes
FDA filing for lung cancer combination, pipeline progress - +7.5 700,000 Seniors Have Started GLP-1s Through Medicare. Now AstraZeneca Just Moved a Once-Daily Pill Into Phase 3
Oral obesity pill advances to Phase 3 - +7.5 Does GSK (LSE:GSK) Have Fresh Momentum As London Pharma Gets A Lift From Cancer Dealmaking With FTSE 100 In Focus?
Pharma lifted by cancer dealmaking, GSK in focus.
Pharma and healthcare: every day · FTSE 100 overview for the day