Health 10 March 2026 - 12 May 2026

DiaMedica Shares Down Ahead of Stroke Trial Update
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DiaMedica Shares Down Ahead of Stroke Trial Update

DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. shares fell Tuesday, with the drug developer closing lower as the major indexes gained. The stock was last at $5.77 after hours, off 6 cents from its close. It traded between $6.29 and $5.56 earlier in the session. Volume reached about 152,000 shares. Market cap was roughly $311 million. DiaMedica is heading into a catalyst week as it prepares to present at 3:45 p.m. ET Thursday during the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference in New York. The event, which runs June 2-4, draws attention from healthcare investors looking for pipeline news and signs of financing.
June 2, 2026
Blue Zones’ 38th Record Profit Plan Puts Yaoko’s Tokyo Expansion in Focus
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Blue Zones’ 38th Record Profit Plan Puts Yaoko’s Tokyo Expansion in Focus

Blue Zones Holdings, which owns Japanese supermarket Yaoko, expects its ordinary profit to hit a record for the 38th consecutive year, citing steady food demand and an expanding network of stores across Tokyo and surrounding areas. The forecast is under scrutiny now with Blue Zones fresh on the market—formed just last October 2025 after a share swap that folded Yaoko in as a full subsidiary. Its debut annual results arrive as Japanese food retailers deal with inflation, climbing wages, steeper construction costs, and stepped-up cross-format competition.
May 12, 2026
Reckitt Benckiser Group plc Hit by Fresh Profit Slump as Dettol Owner’s Margin Test Deepens
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Reckitt Benckiser Group plc Hit by Fresh Profit Slump as Dettol Owner’s Margin Test Deepens

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc’s Bangladesh arm posted a 28.31% plunge in first-quarter profit, piling on more trouble for the Dettol and Durex parent after group-level numbers started 2026 on the back foot. Profit after tax for Reckitt Benckiser Bangladesh came in at Tk10.99 crore, down from Tk15.33 crore, and revenue slipped to Tk132.61 crore versus Tk147.34 crore for the January-March stretch, according to a report. Timing comes into play here—emerging markets have been one of the steadier spots in Reckitt’s performance. In its April update, the UK company reported Core Reckitt like-for-like net revenue up 1.3%. Emerging markets jumped 7.6%. Europe dropped 4.2%, North America down 0.9%. Like-for-like revenue, which leaves out effects from currencies, deals, and sales, gives a
May 4, 2026
British American Tobacco p.l.c. Faces Fresh UK Smoking Ban Test After Royal Assent
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British American Tobacco p.l.c. Faces Fresh UK Smoking Ban Test After Royal Assent

British American Tobacco p.l.c. is staring at a tougher road ahead in its domestic tobacco business, now that Britain has granted Royal Assent to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill—officially making it law. Under the new measure, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, will never be legally able to buy tobacco, according to the government. Timing is key here. BAT, the company behind Lucky Strike and Dunhill, still relies on cigarette sales to bankroll its push into non-combustibles. The UK’s new law doesn’t flip the switch, but it does set a firmer course—expect fewer legal cigarette buyers ahead, stricter rules for vapes, and sharper focus on how nicotine products get marketed.
April 30, 2026
CSL Shares Bounce After Buyback Tops 6 Million, But Pentagon Flu Vaccine Shock Lingers
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CSL Shares Bounce After Buyback Tops 6 Million, But Pentagon Flu Vaccine Shock Lingers

CSL Limited’s on-market buyback has now topped 6 million shares, keeping capital return plans in the spotlight as investors gauge whether the Australian biotech’s stock has finally stabilized. According to an ASX filing dated Monday, the company picked up another 86,383 shares during the prior session, spending A$11.2 million. That brings the ongoing tally to 6,084,879 shares repurchased, with roughly A$1.024 billion spent so far. CSL’s buyback program allows for up to US$750 million of ordinary shares. Timing counts here. CSL finished Monday at A$131.82, gaining 1.4%, yet still hovering only slightly above Friday’s 52-week low of A$127.75. The stock traded between A$129.61 and A$132.21 during the session, according to price data.
April 27, 2026
Aviva plc Extends Menopause Support to 675,000 More Customers as Health Cover Competition Tightens
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Aviva plc Extends Menopause Support to 675,000 More Customers as Health Cover Competition Tightens

Aviva plc said Monday it's rolling out specialist menopause support to an extra 675,000-plus individual and small business private medical insurance customers, along with their families. The move broadens a health benefit already available through Aviva Digital GP, the insurer’s remote doctor platform. The package provides as many as six 30-minute sessions with a nurse trained in menopause care. Dr Subashini M, medical director at Aviva UK Health, said the expanded access stands to positively impact people’s “health, confidence and everyday working lives.” This shift lands as UK interest in private medical coverage keeps climbing—driven by patients after quicker treatment. LaingBuisson healthcare analysts put the count at 4.68 million private medical insurance holders by end-2023, and including families, some 8
April 27, 2026
British American Tobacco Stock Slips as UK Smoking Ban Nears Law and BAT Keeps Buyback Running
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British American Tobacco Stock Slips as UK Smoking Ban Nears Law and BAT Keeps Buyback Running

British American Tobacco p.l.c. is staring down another UK regulatory hurdle, as lawmakers moved this week to lock in a lifetime smoking ban that’s expected to become law. The upcoming rule would stop anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, from ever legally purchasing cigarettes in the country—clouding the long-term sales picture for one of BAT’s core markets. Timing’s critical here. BAT needs to convince investors that ramped-up cash returns and quicker growth in its smokeless lineup will balance out tighter regulations on old-school tobacco. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill extends ministerial authority across sales, marketing and displays—not just for cigarettes, but also for vapes and other nicotine options. That broadens policy risk.
April 27, 2026
CSL Buyback Deepens as Pentagon Flu-Shot Shift Leaves ASX Giant Near 2017 Lows
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CSL Buyback Deepens as Pentagon Flu-Shot Shift Leaves ASX Giant Near 2017 Lows

CSL Limited snapped up 101,810 shares for A$13.1 million on April 23 as part of its ongoing on-market buyback, according to a filing dated April 24. The Australian biotech pushed forward with the purchases—even with its shares coming under renewed pressure after a U.S. military policy shift that could weigh on flu vaccine sales. The buyback prices ranged from A$127.98 to A$129.98. Timing is crucial here. CSL’s working to prove balance-sheet restraint after investor confidence took a big hit, just as the market is rethinking its view of the company’s vaccine arm following the Pentagon’s move to drop mandatory flu shots for U.S. troops. According to Reuters, CSL shares slid to lows not seen since late August 2017, down over
April 26, 2026
CSL Shares Near Nine-Year Low After Pentagon Flu Shot U-Turn Tests Buyback
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CSL Shares Near Nine-Year Low After Pentagon Flu Shot U-Turn Tests Buyback

CSL Limited shares found some footing Friday, though the Australian biotech still hovered near a nine-year trough. Confidence in its Seqirus vaccine division took a blow after a shift in U.S. military flu-vaccine policy. Shares closed at A$130, up 0.8%, having hit A$127.75 earlier in the day. It matters now: the Pentagon’s move to make flu shots optional for both active and reserve troops, as well as civilians, has shaken a channel investors once counted on for steady demand. Speaking on the change, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told troops the vaccine remains available, but “we will not force you.”
April 24, 2026
British American Tobacco’s Buyback Bet Faces a New UK Smoking Crackdown
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British American Tobacco’s Buyback Bet Faces a New UK Smoking Crackdown

British American Tobacco p.l.c. moved forward with its next share buyback phase Wednesday, tapping Merrill Lynch International to handle ordinary share repurchases from April 23 until June 29. This comes as UK lawmakers passed tougher legislation barring anyone who is under 18 today from ever legally purchasing cigarettes. Timing is crucial here. BAT is moving ahead with cash returns just as its core cigarette business hits a tougher regulatory backdrop at home, and investors are watching to see if products like Vuse vapes and Velo nicotine pouches can shoulder a bigger part of the business.
April 22, 2026
Red Light Therapy Boom: What the Science Really Says as Masks, Mats and Beds Flood Beauty Market
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Red Light Therapy Boom: What the Science Really Says as Masks, Mats and Beds Flood Beauty Market

Red-light therapy’s footprint in U.S. beauty and wellness keeps expanding, and Monday’s coverage highlights just how quickly devices like masks, caps, and panels have jumped from niche clinics to living rooms. Dermatologists and researchers aren’t dismissing the science, but they’re clear: the best evidence supports far fewer uses than marketers claim. The category’s popping up in retail recaps and neighborhood recovery studios alike. Last week, Axios Charlotte spotlighted a $49 session on a full-body LED bed at a local wellness spot. Product rundowns from Town & Country and NewBeauty have put masks, hats, and panels squarely in focus—prices hovering between $399 and $549, with the CurrentBody hair helmet clocking in at $860.
April 13, 2026
British American Tobacco Deepens Charlotte’s Web Bet in $75 Million CBD Deal
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British American Tobacco Deepens Charlotte’s Web Bet in $75 Million CBD Deal

British American Tobacco p.l.c. plans to boost its stake in Charlotte’s Web, a U.S. hemp-derived CBD company, to around 40%. According to U.S. filings, BAT aims to convert a C$75.3 million convertible debenture—plus accrued interest—into equity, and kick in an extra $10 million in cash. If the deal goes through, that’s about 110 million Charlotte’s Web shares for BAT. The move deepens the group’s shift away from tobacco and nicotine, coming as BAT signals 2026 results will likely hit the low end of its medium-term range. Back in 2022, BAT called its investment in Charlotte’s Web just another piece of that pivot.
March 31, 2026
GSK plc wins China approval for Exdensur as hepatitis B drug bepirovirsen enters review
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GSK plc wins China approval for Exdensur as hepatitis B drug bepirovirsen enters review

London, March 30, 2026, 14:08 BST. GSK notched up two regulatory milestones in China on Monday: the country gave the green light to Exdensur, its asthma therapy, and kicked off a formal review for bepirovirsen, a hepatitis B hopeful. According to a company filing, Exdensur is now approved in China for severe eosinophilic asthma in patients 12 and up. The bepirovirsen filing covers chronic hepatitis B in adults, GSK said.
March 30, 2026
GSK Stock Rises 2% as Japan Grants Orphan Status to Lung Cancer Drug
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GSK Stock Rises 2% as Japan Grants Orphan Status to Lung Cancer Drug

GSK shares finished Tuesday up 2.07% at 1,977 pence, beating out the FTSE 100’s 0.72% gain. The move came after the British pharma firm announced that Japan had granted orphan-drug status to its investigational lung cancer therapy, risvutatug rezetecan. This shift comes at a crucial moment: investors want to see GSK deliver on its promise to push new drugs through the pipeline, as Chief Executive Luke Miels races to boost development and line up fresh medicines before patents run out in the HIV segment. “We need to accelerate what we have,” Miels said back in February, outlining a strategy that leans on brisker R&D and targeted acquisitions.
March 24, 2026
GSK Stock Price Today: Shares Rise After FDA Approval of Lynavoy for Rare Liver-Disease Itch
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GSK Stock Price Today: Shares Rise After FDA Approval of Lynavoy for Rare Liver-Disease Itch

GSK shares trading in the U.S. edged up 0.6% to $52.39 as of 3:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The move followed news that the FDA cleared Lynavoy, the company’s new treatment for severe itching in patients with primary biliary cholangitis, or PBC—a rare autoimmune liver disorder. GSK gets the green light at a crucial time. With patent cliffs approaching for its top HIV drugs, new CEO Luke Miels is under pressure to prove the company can bring fresh therapies to market. Lynavoy's approval marks the first liver treatment from GSK's pipeline to clear regulators, the company said.
March 19, 2026
GSK Stock Price Today: Shares Drop 2% as Vaccine Policy Risks Keep Investors Cautious
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GSK Stock Price Today: Shares Drop 2% as Vaccine Policy Risks Keep Investors Cautious

GSK shares in London finished Wednesday down nearly 2%, slipping to around 1,973 pence—worse than the broader market drop. Over in the U.S., the stock traded lower by about 1.9% at $52.42 during the afternoon, with European healthcare names broadly under pressure. The point is, GSK had bounced back sharply from a rough 2025, outpacing a number of European pharma rivals, with Luke Miels stepping in, earnings beating expectations, and specialty medicines driving growth, Reuters noted back in February. By Wednesday’s close, shares were sitting roughly 14% under their Feb. 18 52-week high of 2,282 pence.
March 18, 2026
GSK Stock Climbs as FDA Widens Arexvy RSV Shot to High-Risk Adults 18-49
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GSK Stock Climbs as FDA Widens Arexvy RSV Shot to High-Risk Adults 18-49

GSK shares climbed Friday after the U.S. FDA cleared a broader use for its RSV vaccine, Arexvy, now including at-risk adults aged 18 to 49. The London-listed stock gained roughly 1.1%, trading near 2,054 pence, Reuters reported. This shift comes as GSK scrambles for new vaccine momentum at a time when that segment’s outlook has grown shakier. Just last month, the company warned investors that vaccine and general medicines revenue in 2026 might slip a bit or hold steady. Specialty medicines, by contrast, are still on track for stronger gains.
March 13, 2026
CSL Share Price Hits 52-Week Low Despite $1.5 Billion U.S. Expansion and New PAHO Vaccine Deal
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CSL Share Price Hits 52-Week Low Despite $1.5 Billion U.S. Expansion and New PAHO Vaccine Deal

CSL Ltd dropped to a 52-week low on Thursday, with shares finishing at A$141.04, down 1.08% for the session, market data showed. Investors shrugged off news of the Australian biotech’s $1.5 billion boost to its U.S. plasma operations and its fresh regional flu-vaccine agreement earlier this week. Investors haven’t forgotten February’s blow: CSL took a sharp hit to first-half profit, racked up hefty impairments, and swapped out its chief executive. Despite talk of new contracts and capacity, the stock has slid 18.31% this year. The market’s focus remains on whether CSL’s earnings can actually bounce back—not just on an expanding project pipeline.
March 13, 2026
Smith & Nephew Share Price Today: Stock Slips as ALLEVYN Launch Meets Tariff Doubts
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Smith & Nephew Share Price Today: Stock Slips as ALLEVYN Launch Meets Tariff Doubts

Smith & Nephew slipped 0.24% to finish at 1,240.5 pence on Thursday, as shares drifted lower just days after the FTSE 100 medical-device group launched a fresh wound-care line. The broader London market struggled as well, with the blue-chip index dropping 0.4%—renewed inflation jitters flaring up on the back of rising oil prices. The March 10 debut of ALLEVYN COMPLETE CARE marks one of the first concrete signs of Smith & Nephew’s 2026 product cycle—and it comes right after management closed out a three-year turnaround and reiterated its forecast. Investors, however, aren’t letting go of the risk factors flagged in the annual report: tariffs, supply chain turmoil linked to conflicts, and the possibility that guidance could wobble before the year
March 12, 2026
Costco’s New Fertility Care Deal Offers Members Up to 80% Off IVF Drugs
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Costco’s New Fertility Care Deal Offers Members Up to 80% Off IVF Drugs

Costco Wholesale on Monday announced a partnership with Sesame—a cash-pay healthcare platform—and fertility clinic operator IVI RMA North America, giving its members access to discounted, coordinated fertility care. Costco members can now get up to 80% off select fertility medications, with the deals coming through the new tie-up. Costco is folding the new service into its yearly membership, right on the heels of reporting second-quarter net sales up 9.1% to $68.24 billion. Membership-fee revenue also jumped, hitting $1.355 billion.
March 10, 2026
Eli Lilly warns some Medicare patients may pay above $50 for weight-loss drugs
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Eli Lilly warns some Medicare patients may pay above $50 for weight-loss drugs

Eli Lilly said Monday that some basic Medicare Part D plans could end up charging more than the touted $50 monthly out-of-pocket cap for its weight-loss drugs—a hitch in what had been one of the Biden administration’s marquee pledges around new obesity-drug coverage. Most plan options, according to Lilly, should still stick to the cap. Timing is key here: The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has set out details for the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, a temporary plan running from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2026. It will allow eligible Part D enrollees to access Zepbound or Wegovy for obesity with a $50 copay, before the wider BALANCE model comes online in 2027. GLP-1 drugs sit at the heart
March 10, 2026
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