GSK sales drop lowers FTSE trading

The FTSE 100 index fell 18.3 points or 0.4% to 4377, having earlier in the day been 0.5% up while the FTSE All-Share index slipped 5.45 points to 2189. GlaxoSmithKline closed down 43p or 3.7% to 1,130p after revealing fourth-quarter profits dropped 16% to £790m on the back of fallingsales to a generic brand of its top selling drug, as well as a reduction in the sales of SlimFast against the Aktins Diet. High street bank Barclays also managed to drop 3.9% or 20.25p to 495p. However, Unilever, the maker of foods and soaps, managed to prevent the markets from falling further, aving e...