DJ Health Care Roundup: Market Talk

2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. 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.

0737 GMT - Roche's acquisition of 89bio adds a potential blockbuster to its drug pipeline, Vontobel's Stefan Schneider writes. The Swiss healthcare company said it will acquire the U.S. biopharmaceutical group for up to $3.5 billion. 89bio is developing a potentially best-in-class fatty liver treatment, aligning the deal with its plans to expand its weightless treatment offerings. Revenues for the drug, pegozafermin, could hit $2 billion in 2030, giving Roche a potential blockbuster that also avails itself to combination therapies with existing Roche drugs, Vontobel says. Roche shares are steady at 260.30 Swiss francs. (william.gray@wsj.com)

1744 GMT - Green Thumb Industries and Vireo Growth both have the first-mover advantage on Minnesota's recreational pot market as the state opens up adult-use sales for the first time, Alliance Global Partners analyst Aaron Grey says in a research note. Green Thumb and Vireo are the state's legacy medical cannabis operators; Green Thumb is now adding adult-use sales to five of its stores, with three more to get it soon, while Vireo is launching adult-use sales in all eight of its stores, the analyst says. The market should become fragmented in a relatively short amount of time, with 150 potential retail licenses in Minnesota's lottery system from the summer, but Green Thumb and Vireo are able to plant their flag now before competition heats up, the analyst says. (dean.seal@wsj.com)

0946 GMT - GSK's plan to invest $30 billion in the U.S. should ease any pain it feels from new drug tariffs, AJ Bell analysts write. The investment should also create jobs and win favor with President Donald Trump, they add. Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on imported medicines. The British pharmaceutical company follows competitor AstraZeneca in pledging major U.S. investment. AstraZeneca in July announced a $50 billion U.S. research and development plan. These moves coincide with a series of pharma groups suspending or canceling U.K. plans, citing a hostile commercial environment, AJ Bell writes. AstraZeneca this week paused a 200-million-pound U.K. investment. GSK shares rise 0.7% to 14.74 pounds and AstraZeneca's falls 0.4% to 113 pounds. (william.gray@wsj.com)

0925 GMT - Ozempic-like GLP-1 drugs could reduce the all-cause mortality rate in the U.S. by as much as 6.4%, and possibly by more than 5% in the U.K. by 2045, according to new research by Swiss Re. These reductions would be possible in the Swiss reinsurer's most optimistic scenario, in which adherence and uptake of the obesity treatments were high, it says. In a more cautious scenario with lower uptake and higher discontinuation, potential mortality reductions would be 2.3% in the U.S. and 1.8% in the U.K., according to Swiss Re. Mortality improvements from GLP-1 drugs--which currently include Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound--would also rely on the availability, adoption rate and lifestyle changes, Swiss Re's Life and Health Reinsurance CEO Paul Murray says. Currently, around 40% of U.S. adults are obese, and the U.K.'s obesity rate stands at 30%, according to Swiss Re. (aimee.look@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 18, 2025 04:20 ET (08:20 GMT)