London open: Shire drags FTSE higher

26th Oct 2009 08:36

Miners and drug group Shire are giving Footsie a lift in early dealings on Monday.Lonmin, Rio Tinto and Anglo American are among the best performing miners.Pharma firm Shire is leading the risers after it announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has affirmed its prior decision to grant five-year New Chemical Entity (NCE) exclusivity to lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, currently marketed by Shire US for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) under the name VYVANSE.McBride, which makes personal care and household products for supermarkets to sell under their own name, said revenues in the period between 1 July and 25 October rose by 7% rise from the same period the previous year as shoppers continued looking for higher value.Galliford Try the construction and housebuilding group, has won a contract for a road improvement scheme in Scotland. The company won the £31.5m contract to construct a new 5km section of the A96 to bypass the villages of Fochabers and Mossfodloch.Bookmaker Ladbrokes said it received a 95% acceptance rate for its recent rights issue.Pawnbroker H&T Group said it has been trading well ahead of expectations for the current year due to higher gold purchasing volumes.Video equipment group Scotty reported higher half year profits and revenues and said it is confident it can grow the group despite the uncertain economic climate.FTSE 100 - RisersShire Plc (SHP) 1,051.00p +1.55%Lonmin (LMI) 1,737.00p +1.52%Serco Group (SRP) 528.50p +1.44%Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,043.50p +1.43%Anglo American (AAL) 2,412.00p +1.34%Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 3,103.00p +1.21%Tesco (TSCO) 393.95p +1.09%Bunzl (BNZL) 658.50p +1.07%Diageo (DGE) 971.50p +0.94%National Grid (NG.) 593.00p +0.94%FTSE 100 - FallersBritish Airways (BAY) 204.50p -2.53%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 95.35p -0.91%Randgold Resources (RRS) 4,438.00p -0.83%Prudential (PRU) 629.00p -0.71%Liberty International (LII) 494.50p -0.70%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 46.77p -0.67%ICAP (IAP) 451.50p -0.66%Standard Life (SL.) 229.00p -0.56%Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC) 939.50p -0.53%British Land Co (BLND) 479.70p -0.50%