FTSE 100 news / Companies and sectors / Pharma and healthcare / 8 October 2026
Pharma and healthcare: sector news on Thursday 8 October 2026
Average tone +4.4 (positive) across 5 companies with relevant coverage, from 50 stories.
Company by company
| Company | Tone | Stories | What the coverage was about |
|---|---|---|---|
| AstraZeneca | +6.7 | 27 | Coverage was mostly positive, centred on the new $1bn Massachusetts R&D centre, the Summit Therapeutics collaboration and analyst support from Jefferies, Citi and Berenberg ahead of third-quarter results. |
| GSK | +5.7 | 16 | Coverage focused on GSK adding new pipeline candidates through partnerships and licensing, including a liver drug and a Chimagen myeloma drug. |
| Haleon | +2.3 | 4 | Coverage focused on Haleon's oral care trials against Colgate and a new Otrivin brand campaign, which lean mildly positive. |
| Smith & Nephew | +2.2 | 2 | Coverage centred on the publication of the company's earnings call transcript and a piece on its joint preservation strategy in Europe. |
| Convatec | +5.3 | 1 | Coverage centred on Convatec's continuing share buyback as its Accelerate plan unfolds. |
Strongest stories in the sector
- +9.2 Jefferies keeps 'buy' on AstraZeneca, sees 46% upside ahead of Q3 results with strong revenue and earnings forecast.
Jefferies keeps buy, sees large upside - +8.3 US bank expects AstraZeneca to beat third-quarter forecasts as path clears to key lung cancer data
Bank expects Q3 beat and key lung cancer data - +8.3 Jefferies maintains 'buy' rating on AstraZeneca ahead of third-quarter results
Jefferies maintains buy before quarterly results - +8.3 Citi raises target for AstraZeneca stock to GBp 18,600
Citi raises price target - +8.3 GSK plc : Berenberg remains its Buy rating
Berenberg maintains its Buy rating. - +8.3 Berenberg keeps Buy rating and GBp 2,200 target for GSK stock
Berenberg keeps Buy rating with a 2,200p target. - +7.5 AstraZeneca PLC : Buy rating from Berenberg
Berenberg buy rating - +7.5 GSK: The Gas Pedal Is Finally Down (NYSE:GSK)
Analyst commentary positive on strategy acceleration. - +7.5 Why Has FTSE 100 GSK (LSE:GSK) Taken Global Rights to a Chimagen Myeloma Drug?
Takes global rights to a Chimagen myeloma drug. - +6.7 AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo to collaborate with Summit Therapeutics
Collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo and Summit - +6.7 AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN) Summit Therapeutics Investment Deepens Its Cancer Pipeline While FTSE 100 Trades Higher
Summit investment deepens cancer pipeline - +6.7 AstraZeneca opens new global strategic R&D centre in Massachusetts, US
Opens new global strategic R&D centre
Pharma and healthcare: every day · FTSE 100 overview for the day