The FTSE 100 was down 0.45 to 7,249.15 at 1500 BST.
Shares in AstraZeneca as the company and its partner Sanofi said their Beyfortus drug for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease in newborns and infants has been recommended for marketing authorisation in the European Union If approved, Beyfortus would be the first and only single-dose passive immunisation for the broad infant population, including those born healthy, at term or preterm, or with specific health conditions.
The pharma giant also said in a separate release that its Danicopan add-on anti blood-clotting drug had met a primary endpoint in a phase III trial.
The company said the treatment for paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinu (PNH) – a rare, chronic, progressive and potentially life-threatening blood disorder – showed positive high-level results in the trial.
PNH is characterised by red blood cell destruction within blood vessels (also known as intravascular haemolysis) and white blood cell and platelet activation, which can result in thrombosis, or blood clots.
Mining stocks were hit be fears of a global slowdown after a warning from the World Bank that a recession was looming. Glencore and Fresnillo both felt the heat as a result.
FTSE 100 – Risers
Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,261.00p 2.40%
M&G (MNG) 200.80p 1.80%
Barratt Developments (BDEV) 431.80p 1.79%
SEGRO (SGRO) 888.20p 1.23%
AstraZeneca (AZN) 10,252.00p 1.20%
British Land Company (BLND) 412.50p 1.03%
SSE (SSE) 1,750.00p 0.84%
Howden Joinery Group (HWDN) 574.00p 0.81%
St James’s Place (STJ) 1,102.00p 0.78%
Ocado Group (OCDO) 654.80p 0.74%
FTSE 100 – Fallers
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 4,698.00p -4.10%
Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH) 2,986.00p -3.30%
Halma (HLMA) 1,971.00p -3.29%
Airtel Africa (AAF) 134.90p -2.95%
Fresnillo (FRES) 710.60p -2.82%
Smith (DS) (SMDS) 267.80p -2.48%
Glencore (GLEN) 489.85p -2.42%
Spirax-Sarco Engineering (SPX) 10,140.00p -2.31%
Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI) (SKG) 2,839.00p -2.10%
Compass Group (CPG) 1,886.00p -2.05%
