Pharma drags London stocks lower after Trump's tariff blitz

(Reuters) -British equities slipped on Friday, pressured by healthcare shares, as investors woke up to U.S. President Donald Trump's fresh levies on dozens of countries and demands to lower prescription drug prices.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 0.7% as of 0915 GMT, on track to snap a six-week winning streak.

The domestically focused midcap FTSE 250 fell nearly 1% and headed for its second straight weekly decline.

Late on Thursday, Trump slapped steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners including Canada, Brazil, India, Taiwan and Switzerland, pressing ahead with his plans to reorder the global economy.

British healthcare stocks dropped the most, down 2.3%, after Trump sent letters to the leaders of 17 major pharmaceutical companies on Thursday, including AstraZeneca and GSK, outlining how they should slash U.S. prescription drug prices.

AstraZeneca shed 3.4%, while GSK slipped 1.3%.

Industrial Support Services sector fell 2.1% after Intertek Group missed its half-year organic revenue growth. The British product testing firm fell the most in the FTSE 100, down 7.7%.

British Airways owner IAG dropped 2.1% after the airline group said it expected a slight rise in costs linked to air traffic control issues.

Watches of Switzerland was the biggest drag on the FTSE 250, down 8%, after the U.S. imposed a 39% tariff on Swiss imports.

Conversely, Melrose Industries rose 6.5% to the top of the benchmark index, after the defence company beat operating profit expectations on strong demand.

Pearson rose 4.5% after the British education company forecast stronger growth in the second half.

Meanwhile, Britain said the European Union will remove tariffs on key steel products under a quota system from Friday as part of a reset of ties and a recent deal to ease trade barriers.

However, London is yet to conclude negotiations with the U.S. after both sides agreed in May to work toward removing tariffs on British steel exports.

Also, data showed on Friday that British house prices rose slightly faster than expected in July.

(Reporting by Sanchayaita Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)