The FTSE 100 index closed just four points higher by close of business today at 5060.8 points, but was boosted by gains in the pharmaceuticals sector.
Drug firms GlaxoSmithKline, adding 54p or 4.3% to 1295p, along with AstraZeneca up 87p to 2162p, helped the UK benchmark after US firm Merck & Co was told it could begin selling its Vioxx painkiller again. Shire Pharmaceuticals Group also added 19p to 581p. Cairn Energy Group, on the back of good results reported last week, also advanced 32p to £12.12 along with Imperial Chemical Industries which added 5.25p to 282.25p. On the losing side, however, United Utilities shed 23.75p or as much as 5% to 446p, following a decline by its European counterparts. National Grid, the owner of the...
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