The FTSE 100 closed lower on Thursday after a sharp decline in AstraZeneca shares outweighed gains among mining companies, leaving London’s benchmark index trailing European markets.
The FTSE 100 ended the session down 0.2%, while the FTSE 250 gained 1.0%, with AstraZeneca falling 6.2% after the pharmaceutical company said its Wainua cardiovascular drug, developed with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, failed to meet its primary endpoint in a phase 3 trial.
Wainua, also known as eplontersen, was being tested in patients with transthyretin-mediated amyloid cardiomyopathy, but the trial did not show a reduction in mortality or cardiovascular clinical events up to 140 weeks compared with a placebo.
JPMorgan analysts said the result could lead investors to remove much of the $3.3 billion risk-adjusted peak sales forecast currently associated with the drug, while noting concerns around confidence in management’s previous expectations for the trial.
AstraZeneca’s decline had a significant impact on the FTSE 100 due to its weighting in the index, although losses were partly offset by strength in mining shares as metal prices moved higher.
Antofagasta climbed 5.4%, Anglo American gained 5.8% and Glencore rose 4.2%, supported by higher commodity prices, with gold trading at $4,126.64 an ounce compared with $4,022.15 on Wednesday, while silver increased 3.5% and copper gained 2.7%.
Computacenter was among the strongest FTSE 100 performers, rising 7.2% after the technology services provider said it expects full-year results to come in comfortably ahead of market expectations following stronger-than-expected second-quarter trading.
The company said growth in North America was supported by higher volumes from hyperscaler customers, benefiting both its Technology Sourcing and Professional Services divisions, and now expects adjusted pre-tax profit to exceed the current market forecast of £313.7 million, compared with £272.0 million in 2025.
On the FTSE 250, Playtech surged 14% after forecasting that 2026 results would beat expectations, helped by what it described as an excellent performance in the United States during the first half. The gambling software provider expects adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of €270 million, above analyst expectations currently ranging between €205 million and €225 million.
Capita fell 21% after warning that issues with its Civil Service Pension Scheme contract could reduce adjusted operating profit by up to £40 million this year. Chief Executive Adolfo Hernandez said the company recognised that its service delivery on the contract had not been good enough.
Bango shares rose 21% after the digital payments firm said it remained confident of meeting 2026 market expectations following strong recurring revenue growth and improved profitability. First-half revenue is expected to reach $25.9 million, up from $25.2 million a year earlier and in line with management forecasts.
Elsewhere in Europe, France’s CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX 40 both gained 0.9%, while US markets also moved higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.3%, the S&P 500 increasing 0.6% and the Nasdaq Composite advancing 0.7%.