Glaxo sees us sales stall

GlaxoSmithKline saw growth stall in the second quarter of the year as the group struggled with a 13 per cent decline in US sales.

Increased generic competition and the temporary suspension of its Rotarix vaccine hit business in the US, although the fall was offset by emerging markets and Japan as well as 275 million in sales of the pandemic flu vaccine. The group said yesterday overall sales were flat at 7 billion in the second quarter of 2010.

But the firm crashed into the red at the pre-tax level, as it counted the cost of a 1.57bn legal bill for claims over a diabetes drug and US restructuring costs.

The 97m loss compared with a 2.06bn profit a year earlier.