Britain's FTSE slips as health stocks weaken

* Moody's cuts outlook on global pharma sector

* Inmarsat (Other OTC: IMASF - news) falls on outlook

* Admiral rises to record highs after results (Recasts, adds detail and updates prices)

By Kit Rees

LONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - Britain's top shares index slipped on Thursday, as weaker healthcare stocks weighed on the market, taking the shine off a rise in insurer Admiral.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index was down 0.1 percent at 6,141.70 points in late session trading. The index is down around 2 percent since the start of 2016, and 14 percent below an April 2015 record high.

Healthcare stocks such as GlaxoSmithKline (Other OTC: GLAXF - news) and AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN - news) fell after credit rating agency Moody's cut its outlook on the global pharmaceuticals industry to "stable" from "positive".

Shares (Berlin: DI6.BE - news) in Whitbread - the company behind Premier Inns and Costa Coffee - fell 5.6 percent after a weak fourth quarter pergformance, while a cautious outlook hit the shares of satellite group Inmarsat.

Insurer Admiral Group was among the best performers, rising 8.4 percent to record highs after posting better-than-expected results. .

Aerospace engineering group Rolls Royce (LSE: RR.L - news) also rose 5 percent, lifted by a price target upgrade from investment bank Jefferies. (Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)