The FTSE 100 Index has broken a two-day trend, shedding about 12 points to 4,793 this morning when shares in the UK's two largest drugmakers fell after US health officials said two products needed closer safety reviews.
AstraZeneca is down as much as 136p to 2,231p, while GlaxoSmithKline has leaked 40p to 1152p. Health official have said that AstraZeneca's Crestor cholesterol reducer and GlaxoSmithKline's Serevent asthma drug have been targeted for closer scrutiny. WM Morrison, which has taken over Safeway stores, is down 3.25p to 223.75p. Reuters is up 9p to 409.75p to lead the morning earners. Cairn Energy has gained 19p to 1,541p. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index was up a fraction by 0.42 points to 11,082.84 points by close early this morning. Digital camera giant Canon rose 0.6% to 5,320 yen, whil...
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