Drug stocks give FTSE a shot in the arm

AstraZeneca, which makes the Crestor cholesterol treatment, has risen 65p, or 2.37%, to 2,812p, while GlaxoSmithKline has gained 30p, or 2.05%, to 1,490p, as the US ruling handed Pfizer patent protection on the world's best-selling drug until June 2011, dealing a blow to generic drug makers. Elsewhere, Kazakhstan miner Kazakhmys, entering the FTSE 100 for the first time since its October flotation, has fallen 8p, or 1.16%, to 680p, after it said copper cathode production in the first nine months of the year was in line with expectations. Housebuilder Persimmon, which is also making it...