Astrazeneca invests $2bn in cancer drug tie-up Markets Astrazeneca has invested $2bn in US pharmaceutical firm Summit Therapeutics as part of a blockbuster cancer research tie-up. The FTSE 100 drugs giant has agreed to buy 109,000 shares in Nasdaq-listed Summit for $18.36 per share as part of the deal. Shares in Astrazeneca jumped by 1.4 per cent to 12,664p in early trading. The tie-up [...]
Astrazeneca explores $400bn megadeal with US rival Markets Astrazeneca is exploring a $400bn (£300bn) merger with US rival Bristol Myers Squibb, in a deal that would create one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical groups. The FTSE 100 giant has held talks with the US group in recent months about a possible tie-up, according to reports in the Financial Times. Talks could lead to a [...]
Sweeping job cuts at GSK to fund £400m Cambridge campus Pharma GSK is poised to slash its back office headcount to help fund a £400m mega-campus in Cambridge, in a move it hopes will bolster its drugs pipeline anFd stave off a looming patent cliff-edge. In his first major update as chief executive, Luke Miels unveiled plans to find £1.9bn of savings over the next three [...]
Regulator wins decade-long pricing tussle with Pfizer June 19, 2026 The UK competition watchdog has won permission to appeal in a case against US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer after a long-running legal battle over allegations of excessive pricing, overturning a previous decision by the Tribunal. The court said the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), was “wrong to set aside the [Competition and Market’s Authority’s] decision” in relation to [...]
Boots moves closer to London float but billionaire Westons circle June 16, 2026 With one potential suitor out of the running, high street titan Boots is moving closer to a London float, a move that would mark a return to the FTSE 100 for one of the UK’s biggest retailers and deliver a major boost to UK capital markets. The 177-year-old British pharmacy saw the withdrawal of Sigma [...]
Australian pharma giant Sigma quits Boots takeover talks June 15, 2026 Australian pharmacy giant Sigma has walked away from talks over a £7.5bn private takeover of Boots, renewing hopes that the high street pharmacy could float in London. The Australian firm said on Monday that a deal with Boots would not meet its investment objectives, leaving just the billionaire Weston family in sales talks with the [...]
Boots eyes £7.5bn sale in blow to hopes of London IPO June 10, 2026 The owners of Boots are weighing up a £7.5bn sale which would dash hopes of a London listing and deal another blow to the UK’s stock exchange. Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm which bought Boots’ parent company for $23.7bn last year, has been in talks with a number of suitors since before Easter. The [...]
GSK shares slip after buying US cancer treatment firm Nuvalent for $10.6bn June 9, 2026 Pharma giant GSK has sealed a $10bn deal to snap up Boston-based biopharmaceutical company Nuvalent. The FTSE 100 titan said it will pay $124 per share in cash in the agreement, marking a 40 per cent premium over what Nuvalent’s stock was trading at just before this announcement. The deal is expected to officially close [...]
Astrazeneca ploughs £300m into UK in surprise U-turn April 29, 2026 British drugs giant Astrazeneca has promised to plough £300m into its UK operations, just months after cancelling a nine-figure investment in a new lab after getting in a spat with the UK government over drug pricing. In a stunning volte-face, the UK’s largest pharmaceutical company said it would revive its £200m investment into a megalab [...]
Haleon takes hit from ‘weak cold and flu season’ but Sensodyne shines April 29, 2026 After being spun out from GSK in the biggest London IPO in decades, City analyst are looking for more from the emblematic FTSE 100 consumer healthcare powerhouse with roots in a Lombard Street apothecary shop Fewer sniffles during the winter have sent a chill through sales volumes at Haleon, the FTSE 100 over-the-counter remedy maker. [...]