Getty ImagesShares in vaccine makers and healthcare firms around the world slid sharply on Friday, as investors warned that Donald Trump’s choice of Robert F Kennedy Jr as US Health Secretary could pose new challenges to the sector.
Kennedy is known as a vaccine sceptic and, if confirmed in the post, has vowed to use it to crack down on “Big Pharma”.
The news prompted a sell-off across the industry. In the US, shares in Pfizer sank more than 4% and Moderna about 7% while UK-listed firms AstraZeneca and GSK dropped more than 3%.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said the pick had “spooked” shareholders, despite questions about how the new administration might pursue its threats.
“The impact on the sector is hard to judge fully at this stage but, at the very least, it will cause a good deal of uncertainty,” he said.
The US health secretary leads a huge agency overseeing everything from food safety to medical research…
