Health Care Roundup: Market Talk

The latest Market Talks covering the Health Care sector. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

0811 GMT – A potential tie-up between AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb could face antitrust hurdles due to the overlap of their portfolios and have a political dimension as well, analysts at Jefferies say. AstraZeneca declined to comment after the Financial Times reported that the companies held merger talks, while BMS didn’t respond to a request for comment. Since both companies have sizable oncology businesses, a deal could face antitrust issues and require sales, the analysts say in a research note. Moreover, AstraZeneca would likely need to navigate the political aspect of the deal to reduce frictions, they add. “AstraZeneca would effectively be a U.K.-based acquirer of one of America’s large pharmas, at a time when U.S. policymakers are focused on domestic manufacturing and strategic industries,” Jefferies says. AstraZeneca shares fall 6.2% in European morning trading. BMS shares climb 4.5% in U.S. premarket trading. ([email protected])