FTSE 100 news / Companies and sectors / Pharma and healthcare / 20 October 2026
Pharma and healthcare: sector news on Tuesday 20 October 2026
Average tone +4.7 (positive) across 5 companies with relevant coverage, from 67 stories.
Company by company
| Company | Tone | Stories | What the coverage was about |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSK | +8.3 | 37 | Coverage was dominated by FDA approval of Jemperli for a type of rectal cancer, alongside promising early lung cancer data for ris-rez. |
| AstraZeneca | +5.5 | 24 | Coverage was mostly positive, centred on the Oracle AI partnership and four Phase III trials being presented at ESMO, with supportive analyst targets. |
| Smith & Nephew | −0.7 | 3 | Coverage centred on Smith & Nephew's struggle against Stryker in knee replacement robotics, which weighs on the tone. |
| Haleon | +3.5 | 2 | Coverage was limited to Haleon launching a one-day interactive wellness pop-up in Toronto, called Haleon Health House. |
| Convatec | +7.0 | 1 | Coverage was limited to a report on a director buying Convatec shares, which leans positive as an insider vote of confidence. |
Strongest stories in the sector
- +10.0 Jemperli (dostarlimab-gxly) approved in US as first and only immunotherapy for adults with MSI-H/dMMR locally advanced rectal cancer
First and only immunotherapy approved for this rectal cancer. - +10.0 GSK’s Jemperli scores FDA approval in rectal cancer, backed by high complete response rate
Approval backed by high complete response rate. - +10.0 GSK's Jemperli gets US nod for biomarker-defined rectal cancer
US approval for biomarker-defined rectal cancer. - +10.0 FDA approves GSK's Jemperli for a specific rectal cancer type
FDA approves Jemperli for rectal cancer type. - +9.7 FDA Approves GSK’s Jemperli for First-Line MSI-High, dMMR Rectal Cancer
FDA approves Jemperli first-line for rectal cancer. - +9.7 FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Jemperli for MSI-H/dMMR Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
Accelerated approval for Jemperli in rectal cancer. - +9.5 GSK's Jemperli Receives FDA Approval to Treat Some Patients With Advanced Rectal Cancer
Jemperli approved for some advanced rectal cancer patients. - +9.5 FDA Clears GSK Drug That Could Change How Certain Rectal Cancers Are Treated
FDA clears drug that could change rectal cancer treatment. - +9.5 GSK’s Jemperli wins FDA approval for rectal cancer treatment
Jemperli wins FDA approval for rectal cancer. - +9.2 AstraZeneca to present overall survival data from four pivotal Phase III trials in Presidential Symposia at ESMO 2026 featuring Sone-Ve, IMFINZI® (durvalumab), TAGRISSO® (osimertinib) and savolitinib
Overall survival data in Presidential Symposia, a prestigious slot. - +9.2 Jefferies backs GSK with 2,500p target after positive lung cancer drug results
Jefferies backs GSK with high target after lung data. - +9.2 GSK’s Jemperli Rectal Cancer Indication Becomes US FDA’s 11th National Priority Voucher Approval
Jemperli approval via FDA priority voucher.
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