LONDON, March 2 Reuters Consumer healthcare group Haleon39;s Chief Executive Brian McNamara said on Thursday he does not expect to announce any acquisitions or divestments imminently, amid analyst concerns its 2023 cost forecasts could hit consensus profit estimates.

McNamara told Reuters that both types of transactions were on the cards, but added there39;s certainly nothing imminent that is out there that I would talk about today.

Haleon, carved out of British drugmaker GSK in July in the biggest listing in Europe for more than a decade, is the world39;s biggest standalone consumer health business selling nonprescription drugs, vitamins and oral care products.

There is widespread talk of consolidation in the highly fragmented sector, with big pharma majors offloading their consumer health businesses to focus on their highrisk, highreward field of prescription medicines.

The consumer healthcare sector is evolving rapidly, and Haleon needs to be an acquiror rather than a target, Lucy Coutts, investment director at wealth management firm JM Finn, which holds Haleon shares, told Reuters.

With very significant cost savings associated with MA, given the top five companies hold 16 of the global consumer health business, consolidation seems highly likely longer term, Barclays analyst Iain Simpson told Reuters this week.

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Haleon has navigated a highly volatile macroeconomic environment in 2022 with double digit inflation on things like input costs, McNamara…