Sensex, Nifty end lower; pharma stocks drag

(Reuters) - Indian equities pared early gains and ended lower for the first time in four sessions on Thursday, with shares of pharmaceutical companies such as Sun Pharmaceutical Industries losing further ground.

The benchmark BSE Sensex closed down 0.21 percent at 35,246.27. The broader NSE Nifty ended 0.23 percent lower at 10,716.55.

The Nifty Private Bank index, which gained for nine straight sessions, closed 0.21 percent lower.

(Reporting by Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Vyas Mohan)