ADHD drug breakthrough boosts Shire

If the banks are out of favour today, the opposite is true of pharmaceuticals groups. Shire is now the biggest riser in the leading index, up 55.5p to 974p, after positive news from the US.

American regulators have approved its Vyvanse attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug - previously confined to children - as a treatment for adults.

Shire's shares have been volatile recently to say the least, with worries about its growth prospects sending them lower, then hopes of a bid from Pfizer or AstraZeneca pushing them higher again.

Meanwhile, better than expected first quarter results from GlaxoSmithKline have pushed its shares 19p higher to £11.20, while AstraZeneca, which publishes its figures tomorrow, is 58p higher at £21.35.

So with a rebound on Wall Street as good results from Boeing and forecasts of positive news from Apple later, the FTSE 100 is 31.1 points higher at 6065.8.