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GLAXOSMITHKLINE went on the warpath over accusations that one of its top scientists made a gaffe in admitting that most prescription drugs do not always work.
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Allen Roses, GSK's worldwide vice president of genetics, confessed that fewer than half of patients who are prescribed some drugs get any benefit from them. The shares fell 7p to 1273p early on.
GSK said it had been misrepresented, saying: 'It will not be a surprise to anyone working in healthcare - and perhaps even to most patients - that most people respond differently to medicines.
'Although medicines may not work in all patients, they do work in a very large proportion.'
Roses is a pioneer of using genetic tests to see if patients will respond to a medicine, rather than trying to sell as many drugs as possible to the widest number of patients. GSK said Dr Roses' views have been published for many years.
The shares rallied to close up 12p to 1292p, amid new hopes that cancer treatment GW572016 will get fast-track approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
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