European pharmaceuticals fall on looming U.S. tariffs

** Shares in some European pharmaceutical companies fell on Wednesday morning after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to implement up to 200% tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals

** In a televised administration cabinet meeting Trump added that he would give drugmakers about one year "to get their act together"

** Belgium-based firm UCB UCB.BR fell 1.8%, with Danish peers like Zealand Pharma ZELA.CO falling 2%, Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO losing 1.1%, and H Lundbeck HLUNa.CO falling 3%

** Elsewhere, France's Sanofi SASY.PA is down 0.8%, Swiss Novartis NOVN.S edged down 0.8%, while British AstraZeneca AZN.L fell 0.5%

** ING analysts Maxime Sranart, and David Vagman said in a note that they expect the threat to put pressure on the segment, but they do not think such steep rates of tariffs to materialise

** "This threat is mainly focused on bringing the European Union, India and Switzerland to the negotiating table", the analysts said, adding that such a tariff rate would imply a de facto embargo on pharmaceutical products manufactured outside of the U.S.

** They also pointed out that implementing such duties would increase the risk of product shortages in the U.S.